I hurried, my hip glanced the table. The vase fell.
I hurried, I spoke too soon. The person to whom I spoke was hurt by my caustic words.
I am an imperfect person. I am deeply flawed.
The only staff that keeps me standing is understanding that so is everyone else.
I take no joy in discovering their flaws, but I know I can improve my conduct.
In their weeping eyes I see the reflection that is me, the disappointment, the criticism, the judgment. Their sorrow.
And the possibility that if I wake in the morning, I can try again. To repair and apologize, to expand my view and extend my palm, to lift them so I may be lifted as well.
Like the broken vase. Even knowing the cracks in the porcelain will still show, and will deflate the value of the vase, and will ever be the flaw that makes the vase vulnerable to breaking again, still I can repair it. Or try.
In the scattered shards lies a promise to fix what is broken.
So, to that person injured by the burn of my careless words, I am truly sorry.
Sometimes it’s the only thought that lets me sleep at night. That, and prayers.
Just a thought 48
The Broken Pitcher, 1891, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Sharon Bonin-Pratt's Ink Flare 
Comments on: "Like a Broken Vase" (33)
If you were also a superhero (which you might be), you could be the main character in a thriller.
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You know I’m not a superhero, but thanks for the giggle this morning.
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Sharon, thank you for your reflections – they make me look deep into myself to examine my own flaws. We’re all a cracked vase; the cracks just run in different directions.
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That’s true, and flawed characters make for absorbing novels – but I think you know where this post came from. Thanks for your wise observations, Jenna.
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a perfect post for me — I have been crabby with all this heat & smoke — fortunately today is cooler & I am too LOL
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Me too, but also for personal reasons as well as unreasonable heat and no AC in our house.
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I have no a/c either – makes nice weather all the better, no? lol
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You mean in comparison? I guess – but I’m too darned hot and I want some cool, cool weather, please.
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Can you imagine if we were all perfect? What a boring, irritating world that would be. Cracks make the world go ’round!
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OK, now you’re cracking me up. 😀
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“…there is a crack in everything, it’s how the light gets in.” 😄 (Leonard Cohen) I’m quite flawed myself, Sharon. ❤️
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Wasn’t Leonard Cohen an amazing poet? I’ve always been enchanted by his words. We’re lucky so many people have been inspired by his music to have recorded versions.
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I agree with you about Leonard Cohen. He was a true poet. (Did you see the PBS special several years ago with one of his last performances? It was amazing.)
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I did and I really loved it. We own a lot of his music on CD. He led a very thoughtful life and contributed to music and poetry with passion and conviction. Almost everyone knows the song Hallelujah but all of his songs are deeply spiritual.
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I’ve found that out, Sharon. He was indeed passionate and spiritual. (Sadly he wasn’t on my radar until about ten years ago when I “discovered” him by really listening to the words of his songs.)
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He was one of my earliest idols. Hubby and I miss his universal wisdom.
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This was several layers deep. The cracks are needed. It is part of what makes us us.
On another note; our words can create as much damage as knocking over that vase.
Neither action can be taken back. Great write
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With me it’s nearly always the words, spoken hastily and without thought, that do so much damage. And you’re right, Andrew, I can never fix the mess I make. sigh….
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We have all made that mistake. No one is perfect.
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Not me, for sure. How are your eyes feeling? Does the heat bother them? I find the heat really bothers my eyes and it’s hard to wear my contact.
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Eyes are more or less the same. Recently saw the doc, said there was no improvement. This is pretty much it. Blind in the right eye. I have learned to work around it. Thanks for asking.the heat must have you crazy. This summer has been brutal.
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Hope you’re having a great summer, Shari. So nice to read your stuff again!
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It’s nice to have you back, Adrienne. I hope you’ve been enjoying the summer big time.
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Reading this I feel very much reminded of Kintsugi, the beautiful Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. Do you know it? The philosophy that stands behind it is even more beautiful than the repaired pieces – to honour, acknowledge and accept imperfections either in art or in humans, to not simply replace but to create something new and beautiful from the broken thing.
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Thanks for the reminder – I do know about Kintsugi, and actually just learned about the art of creating it. I’d seen examples here and there without knowing the process or concept behind it. You’ve made a lovely addition to this post – I hope other readers will look into Kintsugi and see for themselves the Japanese way of making lemonade – really gorgeous lemonade.
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I like you comparing it to making lemonade, Shari. 😉 And indeed really gorgeous lemonade at that! 🙂
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Stunner, Shari. Wow.
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Much appreciated, Audrey.
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What a lovely post, full of grace, Sharon. This reminds me of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken bowls with a special lacquer mixed with gold, usually resulting in something more beautiful than the original. The philosophy behind the art is to honor the history of a piece, and to bring out the beauty that can only arise from brokenness. I really love that thought, since we are all so flawed. Our striving, our forgiveness, and our intent matter. ❤
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Sarah (see comments above) also mentioned Kintsugi ceramics. I’ve long admired them without knowing the way they are created and the philosophy behind the art form. There’s so much to learn from other people, not only other methods of creating art, but other ways of looking at the world and finding the beauty hidden within. Your final sentence is golden. Thank you for your comment, Diane.
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🙂
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Favorite line: “The only staff that keeps me standing is understanding that so is everyone else.” I’m a cracked pot too 😉
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It took me so long to realize that everyone has suffered and even longer to know that I could heal. Thank you for your comment, Elizabeth. I’ve read your About page and taken a look at the Sanctuary Model – thank you for your references and insights.
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