“In Japanese pottery, there’s an artful form of repair called kintsugi. When a piece of ceramic pottery breaks, rather than trying to restore it to its original condition, the artisan accentuates the fault by using gold to fill the crack. This beautifully draws attention to where the work was broken, creating a golden vein. Instead of the flaw diminishing the work, it becomes a focal point, an area of both physical and aesthetic strength. The scar also tells the piece's story, chronicling its past experience.

If you have been watching the Olympics this past week, you have heard the stories of pain and breaking of mind and body. 

These athletes' resilience and the scars they leave are creating a golden vein. 

Have you been in a similar situation? A broken leg, knee replacement, hip replacement, or any part of your body? Can we draw on Kintsugi to remind us that we are not our broken body part or broken mind, but as we heal, we are creating a golden vein?

How can we lean on our strength to heal instead of feeling like we will never come out of the brokenness? Instead of saying my bad knee, my bad hip, etc., can we appreciate all our cracks and all the beautiful stories these cracks tell? 

Can we use our positive mindset, our “gold,” to fill in the cracks?