“You are damaged and broken and unhinged. But so are shooting stars and comets.”
― Nikita Gill
If you have read some of my previous posts you are aware that I did not have an easy childhood…but then who among us has? You work with what you have, not what you wish for.

I knew I was broken from a relatively young age. Throughout my journey I would often think that it was impossible for me to understand what “normal” is in relation to my interaction with the world. I would never really fit in. I was anchor-less and alone in this feeling of separation. When I thought too long or hard about it I could get into a fairly dark place. And yet I persevered by always putting one foot in front of the other – no matter how small a step I was able to take. In the past couple of years, however, there has been a deepening shift inside of me. I now understand that the struggles and challenges I have experienced and overcome in my life are part of what make me beautiful and uniquely me.
If we do not experience our own heartbreaks, betrayals, feelings of being cast aside or any number of other trials throughout our journeys, perhaps we would not be able to empathize and truly connect with other people. The cycle of pain and healing creates a commonality that transcends gender, race or country of origin. It is this connection with others that bolsters our humanity. This sacred connection between all of us motivates us to be better people.
Recently, though I am not sure where, I came across a picture of a piece of pottery that had obviously been broken and put back together. I couldn’t stop looking at the picture; I thought it was incredibly beautiful. I did a little research and found that it is called kinsukuroi or kintsugi. If you look up the translation of the word this is what you will find:

“Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), also known as kinsukuroi (金繕い, “golden repair”), is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.”
In other words, you take something broken and the way in which you put it back together makes it even more beautiful than its original form. This idea that beauty lay in the brokenness was a revelation for me. It put into a new light the perceived negative aspects of our journey, so that I can now see the challenges as opportunities for transformation. How incredible is it that our lives are full of opportunities to overcome, be stronger, kinder and more compassionate?
Of course the other side of that coin is when we reflect upon the difficulties in our lives as being perpetrated upon us, we feed our minds with thoughts of being preyed upon and that we are unable to protect ourselves. When we get stuck in that place in our head, the broken pieces remain broken. There is no mending, there is no healing. We remain fractured and fragmented, unable to fill ourselves with the love and beauty that surrounds us everyday. We wait, often times in vain, for those that broke us to come and fix the damage they have done. We are so devastated at being broken in the first place that we are unable to see that the need – and the power – to repair the wounds is ours and ours alone. And by embracing this power to heal ourselves, we will only be more stable, substantial and beautiful than we were before.

What do we use to mend the broken pieces? If we try to repair ourselves using blame, anger and hatred, our efforts will be futile and can only serve to further shatter us. Love, compassion and gratitude are the gold and silver lacquer with which we can truly put ourselves back together. And in doing so, we allow the world to see how much more beautiful and strong we are for having been broken and healed.
We are all human and in that humanity lies our beautiful imperfections. Instead of denying these blemishes and flaws, if we learn to embrace them – and ourselves – with an open heart, we can bring to the world the very best and most beautiful rendition of ourselves.
“There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness.”
― Shannon L. Alder
Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I am so grateful!
If you enjoyed reading this post you can find my personal blog here.
Amazingly awesome 👌
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you💙
LikeLike
Thank you, Danielle, for this well-written and meaningful post. The images are beautiful, and the metaphor of the broken pots is well-chosen.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much for your comment and support!!
LikeLike
Aw, so are you!!
LikeLike
You are awesome
LikeLiked by 2 people
Aw, so are you!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve heard of this idea before. Love it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much!! 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kintsugi teaches so much, thank you for sharing 🙏
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much for for reading 💙🙏🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries at all, glad to be a reader 😊✌️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t sweat it, that’s how the light gets in 😉
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Loved reading it .I relate to it a lot ,and I’m proud of myself for the person I have become because of the sufferings and pain I had.
““The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Rumi.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love that quote from Rumi…one of my favorite 💙 Thank you for reading!
LikeLike
Beautiful! It reminded me of Japanese wabi-sabi concept, beauty in imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete 😊
LikeLiked by 3 people
Love that!! I will look that up too💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful piece, we’re on the same page today with Kinsugi
LikeLiked by 2 people
Love it!!
LikeLike
Thank you for sharing such an engaging and beautifully written testimony, Ms. Davis! I have often said if it were not for the various trials in life, how would we ever recognize and appreciate the blessings given to us by God. The One who happens to be in the business of restoration when it comes to human brokenness. I like where you state that “love… is the lacquer with which we can truly put ourselves back together” because the Bible teaches us that “God is Love” in 1 john 4:8. The elements of compassion and gratitude are byproducts of that love we express to others. Anyway, your post was a joy to read from start to finish!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am so grateful for your kind words and incredible insight you shared! Thank you🙏🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
I enjoyed reading this post and the pictures are wonderful. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for reading!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Danielle. Your post is very encouraging.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading my post, Jean!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome 😊
LikeLike
Such beautiful wisdom here. Thank you for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words, Carol!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so gifted it was a pleasure to share. There are many who need to read your words. I hope they do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am humbled and grateful. Thank you so much.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are most welcome.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on chopkins2x3 and commented:
We really are wounded healers. Danielle writes so beautifully about brokenness. This is well worth the few minutes it takes to read it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. “If you don’t try to fly and so break yourself apart, you will be broken open by death, when it’s too late for all you could become.” – Rumi
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is beautiful! Thank you for reading and sharing!
LikeLike
Very well written! The broken pottery visual was a powerful analogy. Your post resonated with me. A grateful reader and fellow blogger.
Heartstringsandtailspins on WordPress.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so grateful for your kind words!
LikeLike
What a lovely post, Danielle! A beautiful way of looking at brokenness! Thank you so much for your inspirational post! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for reading and commenting , Anita!💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙏🏼thank you
LikeLike
This is beautiful! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!! 💙
LikeLike
Very well expressed..
Separation for whatever reason causes pain…moving on is not easy…the thoughts tag along. ..it takes lot of sincere efforts and a creative mindset to come out of the past and start afresh…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so grateful for your insight and for you reading my post!
LikeLike
You are welcome Danielle..
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wabi-sabi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is such a beautiful concept. I love to learn about things like this. Thank you for sharing 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love the pottery analogy. . . Being broken means having lived.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Exactly 💙 Thank you for reading!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nikita, well thought out and well done. your analogy with the japanese pottery… Cheers!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, so much!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am sorry Danielle! somehow, overlooked that the quote in the beginning is by Nikita and YOU are the author! Congratulations on a beautiful post.
how does one contribute to Pointless Overthinking?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lol! No worries! Believe it or not it has happened before and thank you!
I was invited by one of the writers, Troy, to guest write a piece for the page and after they invited me to continue. It is such a talented and diverse group!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“We are all human and in that humanity lies our beautiful imperfections. Instead of denying these blemishes and flaws, if we learn to embrace them – and ourselves – with an open heart, we can bring to the world the very best and most beautiful rendition of ourselves.”
Simply brilliant!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow!! Thank you so much for!! I am really happy you enjoyed it☺️
LikeLike
Love, compassion and gratitude are indeed having the power to put ourselves back together ❤️…you have beautiful written dear and the softness in every word was felt🍃👏👏👏👏
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am humbled by your kind words. Thank you so much🙏🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
At the end of the day, it all comes down to empathy really. Your post really resonated with me and put my feelings into words, better arrangement of words than my own effort in my last blog. I tried to explain something along the same lines but you managed put it beautifully and elegantly. Wonderful read! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought your post was beautiful 💙 Thank you so much for reading mine!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Its a beautiful post. We all have flaws. Whats counts is how we decide to go ahead with that. 🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so happy you liked it! Thank you for reading and commenting 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love this! I never knew about kintsugi. It seems beautiful. I like how you used it as an analogy. Thanks for sharing, Danielle! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words and support!💙
LikeLike
This was beautiful and so inspiring ❤️. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so grateful it resonated with you!! 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lovely post. I like the concept of improvement after being broken and repaired 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too☺️ Thank you for reading it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Beautiful 👌❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Kellie!! 💙
LikeLike
This is beautiful 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading it! I am glad you enjoyed it💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! This is beautiful. I love it. This is the point I have reached in my life, where I have accepted that all that has ever happened to me has shaped me into who I am now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!! Same here💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good to know!
LikeLike
I really love your post Danielle, it touched my soul. You put into words how experiences, healing and acceptance contributes to the person we are. Very uplifting! 😘
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! I am grateful that you read my post and it resonated with you 🥰
LikeLike
Thanks for reminding us that we can be beautiful despite our scars. I’m familiar with the pottery you used in your piece. I actually think those pieces would be fairly ordinary (mush less interesting, in other words) without the repairs. Most art teachers will tell you that there is great beauty in imperfection. It’s the flaws that add interest and make things real masterpieces. This lesson taught by these kinds of teachers are the type we all should learn.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Troy. I agree with your thought about the pieces being ordinary before they were broken and repaired. I thought about that many times looking at the different pottery. The repair makes them so unique and beautiful.
I appreciate you reading and commenting!
LikeLike
This is an amazing way to look at it. I think if more people in the world used love to heal their wounds, the world would be a much better place. Thank you so much for sharing this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am very grateful you read it and it resonated for you! Have a great day!
LikeLike
It resonated very much. I remember learning about using gold to fix broken pottery while in school. I didnt really understand it then. And some days, depending on where I am mentally and emotionally, I still struggle to understand it now. But the way you related it to fixing ourselves made it sink in and make a lot more sense. You have a great day as well!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A beautiful piece, I am now, definitely a follower! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aw!!! Thank you so much 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are most welcome❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
These are such powerful realisations. Others can offer advice, and hope, and strategies to manage mental wellbeing, but if we are not open to beginning the process of healing no one can force us. We can be shown the way but we choose to walk it.
Speaking the truth with love and grace isn’t always easy especially to those closest to us, but it is necessary for living a healthy life.
Thank you for sharing more of your experiences in this thought provoking piece.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your comment and for reading this post, Hamish!
LikeLike
amazing work
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Nancy!
LikeLike
my pleasure
LikeLike
Wow, you have a unique perspective and you’ve written such a beautiful post. I think the current generation will be inspired by your words. ‘Humanity lies in our beautiful imperfections’… I mean my mind is blown!❤️
I hope you are safe and happy:)
Have a nice day!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for your support and kind words 💙 We are safe and we are happy! Wishing the same for you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not sure if you are from North America. I’ve read in numerous articles that people have had difficult, bad or unpleasant childhood in the States and Canada..
Before I relocated to Canada, I lived in Latvia for almost 50 years. I had a fantastic childhood. My parents had to work, it was soviet times, we had no access to any nursery or child care. I loved taking care of and teaching my sister. I did that since I was 5. We were most often just 2 at home, so, I became extra responsible very early.
We did go on Sunday trips, had a great time in our own garden, we definitely enjoyed a lot and were not worried that money was extremely short. It was soviet times. One wasn’t allowed to go to other countries or do lots of things which people normally do.
I adored my mom and very much loved my dad. The last year was the worst because mom passed away.
I think childhood is a time when kid has to be a kid. I’ve seen in Canada how they don’t allow that. Kids have overloaded schedule and they’re always in competition. They grow up having zero life skills.
The general trend is less and less people having common sense and life skills. One looks for instructions for everything.
I feel somewhat upset reading about millions of bad childhoods. I am very privileged to have had fantastic parents, very honest and good family, extreme support from anybody in my family. We had to work very hard from very early age, but we also learned practically everything what person needs to be self-sufficient.
Whatever childhood issues have happened, one has to focus on their own present life once they have grown up if they ever do.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so happy you had such an positive childhood! I am from North America and I agree with you, we have lost our way with not letting kids be kids. I appreciate all that I have learned and the strength I have gained healing from trauma.
Thank you for reading and commenting on my post!
LikeLike
This is amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much!!
LikeLike
Hey, danielle it’s my first when i am seeing your blog. You are such a motivator. And keep doing same.
If you have spare time plz check and follow my blog 😊
http://unsaidwords175345018.wordpress.com/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words and I will absolutely follow your blog!! 😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so kind of you. Such a pretty soul😊
LikeLiked by 1 person
Namaste 🙏🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
Heartwarming, well-written. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful perspective and that’s all what matters ❤️.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words!! 💙
LikeLiked by 1 person
truly inspiring! Loved it:)
All your articles are unique and meaningful!
Keep up the great work:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very insightful – thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for reading ☺️
LikeLike