Wabi-Sabi (侘寂) — Learning to Keep What Time Has Touched

 Gemini Generated

For many of us, calendars, diaries, and yearbooks marked the arrival of a new year. The unused one from the year before rarely went to waste — it became a scrapbook of sorts. A place for doodles, secret codes, half-formed thoughts, phone numbers, and ideas that felt important in the moment.

Handwritten notes, smudged ink, messy, uneven lines. Imperfect — but deeply personal.

Over the years, I collected a lot of those and at some point, I decided it was time to clean up my shelves. It felt practical at the time.
Old diaries were discarded, with only scanned copies of selected pages treasured.

I feel sad about that decision now. I didn’t realise then how much of me lived in those pages — they were part of growing up, maturing together. Those clumsy lines on paper were akin to the veins of a tree, irregular in shape yet proof of years of existence.

I wasn’t aware of the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi then, but I felt its essence.

Wabi-Sabi invites us to see beauty in imperfection.
It encourages us to embrace the imperfect, the transient, and the incomplete — a cracked teacup, a worn-out pair of jeans.

It asks us to accept every crack, wrinkle, and stain not as flaws, but as quiet markers of authenticity — like a painter’s strokes on the artwork of being alive.

Suddenly, those old diaries felt dearer, and their absence created a sense of vacuum. Life is a mosaic, a collage formed by both perfect and imperfect everyday moments. Removing traces of imperfection does not make the image perfect; it makes it unauthentic — someone else’s life.

A chipped mug that brews the morning coffee — each chip carrying the memory of a day.
A weathered wooden table — scratched by years of family dinners, marked by countless cups of tea, holding a history no polish should erase.
An old photograph, creased at the edges — imperfectly preserved, yet holding a perfect memory.

While Kaizen teaches us to keep improving, step by step, Wabi-Sabi reminds us not to discard what time has already shaped.

One urges growth; the other, acceptance.
Perhaps a meaningful life needs both —
the courage to improve,
and the wisdom to keep what already bears our marks.

2026: A Happy New Year for Memory

 

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.” — Oscar Wilde

It had been in my scheme of things for the past few weeks to write something to mark the end of 2025. Yet, like many such intentions, it kept slipping out of my mind — until I reached the very last day of the year.

I wouldn’t blame my memory entirely for this.
But I can’t give it a clean chit either.

A new year inevitably brings with it an invitation to reset — and to resolve something ambitious. This time, my resolution is simpler, shaped by a very personal need: to retain and reinforce my memory.

I’ve decided to dedicate 2026 as the year of memory improvement.

Not memory in the heroic sense of remembering everything — but in the practical sense: better recall, sharper focus, and a mind that stays engaged rather than drifting.

Here is the path I plan to follow — and I sincerely invite you to join me if it resonates.

Train the brain — daily, deliberately

The brain responds to use. Small, consistent challenges matter far more than intensity.

• Do one daily mental workout: crosswords, logic puzzles, or even something as simple as the New York Times Wordle — modest, but surprisingly effective.

• Learn something new that stretches you just a little: a language, a musical instrument, or an unfamiliar skill.

• Read something and summarize it in your own words — aloud or in writing.

Move to support the mind

What’s good for the heart is good for the brain.

• Stay active most days — walking, cycling, swimming, or anything that gently raises the heart rate.

• Include light strength work a few times a week to support overall health.

• Build movement into everyday life: walk after meals, take the stairs, or pace during phone calls.

Eat, sleep, and check the basics

Memory is protected by simple, consistent health habits.

• Eat thoughtfully: more vegetables, fruits, fish, and whole foods; less processed excess.

• Sleep well and regularly — this is when memory consolidates.

• Pay attention to medical basics like blood pressure, vitamin levels, and medications, especially if memory changes feel unusual.

Use memory systems, not willpower

Good systems reduce daily friction.

• Keep one trusted place for notes, tasks, and reminders.

• Store essentials like keys and glasses in fixed locations.

• Stay socially active — conversation and connection sharpen memory more than we often realise.

I’m not aiming for perfection.
Just to remember more, drift less, and stay mentally engaged with life as it unfolds.

As 2025 comes to a close, I wish you clarity, good health, and moments worth remembering.

And if you choose to, join me in making 2026 a year where we don’t just live through time — but remember it a little better.

Happy New Year.