Volume 15 Issue 1
Did you know that since 2005, the first seven days of January have officially been dubbed “New Year’s Resolution Week?” I’m sure you saw your social media overflowing with messages of “new year, new you” mantras, with endless posts touting “words of the year,” and other similar personal-goal-setting concepts. Don’t get me wrong: I believe taking time to reset and self-evaluate is truly important. The sad news is that over half of these resolutions generally fail within the first few months. It wasn’t until I read a devotional about Kintsugi that changed my mindset and made we want to shake things up a little bit in 2022.
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold, silver, or platinum. It rests on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
Every break is unique, and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the “scars” as a part of the design. Using this as a metaphor for healing ourselves teaches us an important lesson: sometimes in the process of repairing things that have been broken, we actually create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. The thing I love the most about Kintsugi is the visible trace of healing and repair—the idea of highlighted, glowing scars. There are no attempts to disguise the damage; the point is to restore the fault lines to be beautiful and strong.
In an effort to be successful with my resolution, I have decided to not focus solely on starting something “new,” but rather an outlook of repairing the “old.” Everyone goes through difficult times and the idea of leading a life of perfection isn’t realistic. Embracing the imperfect means that we celebrate our strengths. This shift of mindset, from striving for an impossible ideal to embracing our strengths, leads to a more positive and strength-oriented outlook. Kintsugi is a reminder to stay optimistic when things fall apart and to celebrate the flaws and missteps of life.
In this issue we will be featuring the theme, “Prescribing a Healthy 2022,” as we highlight some of our locally owned and operated pharmacies. The goal for each New Year is be healthy and happy; that is why we look to share info and articles about the right prescription for your best year yet! Your town. Your life. Your magazine.
Click on the cover to see the virtual edition.
