Our sight is one of the senses we use the most and yet, looking does not mean seeing. The volume of what we see, whether we look for it (forgive the pun here) or whether it is in the mass of social media, adverts everywhere and the like means that a lot of what goes through our eyes barely registers at times.
This morning, I went for a walk near my home called the Sunny Corner. On the edge of a tidal river, it has boats moored on the side. There are always a few people walking their dog, running or people tending to their boat. Everyone says hello in passing whether this develops in a conversation or not. This place always fills a gap in me, when a “hello” is what I need.
As I walked I noticed a few seeds on the floor from a sycamore tree. Commonly called helicopter seeds, I picked a few for my art for wellbeing sessions and the more I picked, the more I looked. From tiny to big, from pale brown to darker dry paper like texture, from a soft green to pink edges… And then I noticed the imperfection in angles and the fact that most were very lopsided! One side was big and one was small and that made me think about how we constantly search for perfection and yet, the ones I searched for were the most textured and the most unusual. Very Wabi Sabi. If you are not familiar with this, Wabi Sabi is a Japanese way to embrace imperfection and beauty in nature, the passage of time and impermanence. It is more of a feeling and approach to life but it seems unfair to only explain in a few words because it goes a lot deeper than that. I am reading this wonderful book on Wabi Sabi, Japanese wisdom for a perfectly imperfect life by Beth Kempton. In the chapter I read last night, nature was mentioned and it included collecting objects to bring nature home with us. Well. Many pinecones, shells, pebbles, seedheads, wild flowers… Later, I realised I had embraced Wabi Sabi many years ago, before I had a name for it. I can’t help bringing bits and bobs in my pockets, tubs and bags whether I have a use for it yet or not.
Sometimes , the need for it comes much later, like making a self-care package for a friend going to hospital this week. She asked me about an activity called “pockets of time” I discovered on an online course by Tara Axford during the lockdown. I fell in love with this technique and found it gave a purpose for the collecting and a chance to tap into my senses whilst on a walk. I never looked back. So I will finish off typing this and go home to find a nice way to present the care package for my friend, filling it with time, love and hope.
gaellebythesea 