wabi sabi

Some time ago I found the name for a gardening style.

It was called Wabi Sabi. Japanese and some say it is untranslatable, but one try at translation: "a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, the beauty of things modest and humble, the beauty of things unconventional."

Hmm.

We seek perfection in all we do. Our yard, our lives, the lives of our children and grand children, but here is the idea of finding beauty in the imperfect. When you come down to it, I know a LOT of imperfect, incomplete, modest and humble, and unconventional has been the definition of my life!

The author went on to say that this sounds like permission to be sloppy and to never finish things, but he said that was not a good interpretation. Another writer said that whether we like it or not our gardens reflect ourselves and our views on life.

Not being a shrink I will accept that as a general rule, and not get specific (besides I may want to hide a bit here).

My dear mother was an accountant, she was trained to keep things in rows and columns, and she did it well. I am trained to be an artist where we may not even have rose or columns or even like the concept.

Maybe what I really wish for is controlled mayhem.