Taro Gold - Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life

CHAPTER ONE
Living Wabi Sabi

CHAPTER TWO
Like Sugar from the Sun

CHAPTER THREE
The Wisdom of Imperfection

CHAPTER FOUR
Growing Up, Growing Down

CHAPTER FIVE
Awakening to the Universe Within

CHAPTER SIX
A Field of Possibilities

CHAPTER SEVEN
The True Beauty of Your Life

Y ou and I have at least one thing in common: Were not perfect. And you know what? Thats precisely how were meant to be.

You and I are reflections of the perfectly imperfect nature of life itself. Once we make peace with ourselves, imperfections and all, we see that every ounce of success, love, and serenity we can imagine is our very birthright and the birthright of everyone around us.

Those who inspire us most do not achieve perfection through greatness: They achieve greatness through imperfection. All of the worlds best-loved truth-seekers and religious figures, including Jesus and Buddha, led obviously less-than-perfect lives and were the first to letus know that they, too, were not perfect people. Today, however, it seems we are moving further away from this commonsense awareness.

My life in this wonderfully imperfect world began in California at the dawn of the 1970s, amid an eclectic mix of privilege and adversity. In childhood, I enjoyed acting in television commercials, modeling sportswear, doing voice-overs for Disney movies, and starring in Broadway musicals such as Peter Pan. I was my parents only child and glad to beattending the best private academies and vacationing in dozens of countries around the world with my two best friends, my mom and dad. From the outside, my life looked perfect.

On the inside, however, my parents struggled to maintain their marriage, my father battled with bipolar disorder, my mother and I suffered from chronic respiratory illnesses, my family endured a financial debacle that pushed us to the brink of homelessness, my neck was broken in a caraccident with a drunk driver, and just after I was elected freshman class president in high school, my father suddenly died. My life was definitely imperfect, to say the least.

And yet, I wouldnt change a thing. Every hardship prompted inner journeys, leading me ultimately to greater joy and purpose than I thought possible. By embracing my life in its entiretyjoys, triumphs, flaws, bungles, and disasters includedI came to see that trying to improve life and trying to perfect life, while they may seem one and the same, actually have opposite results. The wish to improve life is real and attainable, but the desire for a perfect lifethe perfect home, the perfect health, the perfect job, the perfect love, whatever it isis the desire for something nonexistent.

Unfortunately, the hard-to-escape barrage of perfect images in the media would have us believe otherwise. We all know the marketing mythology: Buy this perfect product, get that perfect life. Unattainable ideals are everywhere we turn: television, movies, books, magazines, songs. Its no wonder that notions of perfection sneak into our fantasies and appear in our scandalously selective memories. Its no wonder that, at times, we may feel we just arent good enough, no matter how hard we try.

The truth is that we are already perfect as we are: perfectly imperfect, that is. For all the positives in our lives, we will always have negatives, too. Its a delicate balancing act: Without the negatives in life, the positives will lose their value.

If we never again shed tears of pain, what would our laughter mean? How would a blue sky seem if we knew no rain? Who would each of us be without our idiosyncrasies? As I write this with my rambunctious Italian greyhound at my feet, I think, would she be as cute without that little crook in her wagging tail?

In the old days, the finest and most expensive Persian rugs were deliberately marred to add texture and allure. Ancient architects left the tops off their pyramids. The unconquerable hero Achilles had a vulnerable spot in his heel. Even the Liberty Bell has a spectacular crack down its side, which only adds to its meaning and appeal.

With all the good we encounter in life, there will always be at least a bit of bad, just as we will always find a piece of fortune in misfortune when we look close enough. Why doesthe Universe work in this mysterious way? Maybe because flaws and mishaps are great stimuli for growth and creativity.

Did you know that numerous imperfections, failures, and mistakes led to the discovery of DNA, penicillin, aspirin, X-rays, Teflon, Velcro, nylon, cornflakes, Coca-Cola, and chocolate chip cookies? In our own lives, its not the parties and vacations but the mind-opening trials of heart and soul that lead us to our greatest personal discoveries.

This book celebrates just such discoveries. Its a journey that uncovers the joy, creativity, and empowerment of imperfection through a simple and ancient way of looking at life: the way of Wabi Sabi. From the commonsense insights of Wabi Sabi, we learn that its not despite our problems but because of them that our hearts hold everything we need to be joyful. We come to see that where we want to go in life is forever found right where we are.