I have had a love affair with Japan going on for many years. All things Japanese – the food and cooking, the culture, language, and all the beauty of so many places there have held a real fascination for me. As I have gotten older, meditation and mindfulness have become bigger parts of my life and are very important to me. Japan embraces both of those things fully and so much of the Japanese culture and way of living reflects mindfulness and appreciation for all that is to be found in every moment.

Wabi Sabi is a central concept in Japanese culture. It is is somewhat difficult to accurately express, but the core elements of it are awareness and acknowledgement of the incompleteness, imperfection, and impermanence of everything and every moment in life, and appreciation for all that is to be found and experienced in those moments.

In the way of wabi sabi, every moment is to be lived and experienced fully because the moment will not last, nor will it ever occur again. Japanese culture is infused with this awareness and appreciation. The history of this part of Japan’s culture goes back thousands of years, and it is so deeply embedded within the Japanese that many have difficulty putting wabi sabi into words when asked to do so.

I have embraced this way of approaching life and found that it has enriched my days in ways I never could have imagined. It perfectly aligns with the place that meditation and mindfulness now hold in my life. Accepting life as it is with peace and appreciation, including all that is a part of each moment, has given me a foundation for living from which only good things have come.

I hope you appreciate all that is within the moments of your life today!