Writing my way through the A-to-Z blogging challenge, I’ve tasked myself with exploring the concepts of pronoia (the belief that the universe is conspiring to shower us with blessings), quiety (serenity) and peace – all through the lens of unusual, obscure, or simply delightful-to-me words.
Z is for…
Zakka, a Japanese word that means miscellaneous, everyday things or sundry goods. But like many Japanese concepts it’s much more nuanced that that. It means those mundane everyday ordinary objects that in addition to being function are chosen for their decorative element. It’s not that they have to be beautiful, or expensive, but there’s a sense of choosing them because function and form are somehow pleasing to one.
Truthfully, I don’t think I’m explaining it very well, but to my credit, it is a rather amorphous concept. It’s hard to say what is or isn’t zakka, but I invite you to do some research on your own if you’re interested.
However, I’m attracted to the concept and want to expand it a bit and talk about it in as it applies to life in more general terms.
One of the things I talk a lot about, and what I like doing and encouraging others to do, is pay attention to what I call the everyday sacred. The things that aren’t really a big deal, and yet sometimes are profound. The fleeting moments of beauty, the small things that bring us pleasure, the things we hold as treasures. The world is filled with them, but often they go unnoticed. I think it’s important to live the kind of life where we do notice them. For me it’s what keeps us sane, connected, remembering what’s important, focusing on the present now moment, and helping us keep our hearts open.
Even as our world becomes more busy, more stressful, more chaotic, more continually plugged in, with an increasing sense of time pressure and fear of missing out on something/anything/everything, there is a collective part of us, at least in Western society, that also longs to dial it down a bit. To find more balance. To find more meaning, to be more present to enjoy our lives.
I think it’s no coincidence that over the past several years so many have turned to the works of Marie Konda’s The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, which encourages only treasures in our homes. Or that the Scandinavian concept of hygge – that desire to create cozy, charming, togetherness – is so popular.
I believe we instinctively know we need to refresh ourselves. To consider both the form and function of things. To balance our being and doing. For me these are the reminders zakka offers if we extend the concept.
I encourage us all to be like thirsty sponges, drinking up what brings us joy, what delights us, what nurtures and nourishes and refreshes us, so we are filled and rested and ready. We have jobs to do in this world – there is much to be done. We all have contributions to make, causes to support, action to take based on our own individual wisdom.
I am absolutely embracing my role as an Ambassador of Pronoia – I believe the world is filled with goodness and we can encourage the growth and unfolding of it. We can nurture our hearts, we can love one another, we can help those in need. We can be agents of positive change, of transformation, of anchored light.
Rob Brezsny, who authored the book Pronoia, offers this rallying cry, and it is one I am whole-heartedly endorsing:
“We are dissident bodhisattvas rebelling against all those forces that feed fear and ignore love.”
This is the pleasing form and function I want to be. Don’t you want to be that as well? Let’s do this!
I love the link you make between zakka and “the everyday sacred” which, in itself, is a beautiful concept.
I’m so underdeveloped spiritually
You amaze me.
Thanks for visiting me at The Rock during the challenge. I really enjoyed meeting you.
Thanks Wendy. The challenge has been such fun, and I enjoyed meeting you as well. Your series and writing are absolutely delightful.
This is great, well-presented and on target. I love that there are other people all over the world with similar, healthy, healing ideas. Alone, we are important, but together we can really change things.
Thanks and congrats on finishing!!
Affirmations for a Good Life
I really appreciate that as well Beth – there’s so much goodness, and brilliance, and inspired thinking all across the world, and so much we can do together.
I hope you’ve had as much fun with the challenge as I have. Thanks for all your visits.
Congratulations on completing the A to Z Challenge and thanks for your visits/comments on my blog! I’m a huge fan of Marie Kondo’s book — and the concept of only keeping what sparks joy. Not that I’ve been able to totally practice her concepts, but I do keep trying. I apply the philosophy to my blog, too — keep it uncluttered and focus on one blog at a time. Enjoyed your posts and look forward to your A to Z Reflections post!
I suspect that practicing Kondo’s philosophy is always a work in progress, but I think it’s wonderful you’ve implemented with your blog as well. (It’s lovely by the way!) When we’re able to apply concepts across the board in multiple areas of our life, the impact really does seem exponential.
Thanks so much for visiting.
Hi Deborah – this rings true … keep few of the messy zakka … I have way too many around – but mostly things if tidied things up they’d be gone – my brain just wants the info … I think it’s a ‘zakkaed brain’?! Wonderful and I’ll be reading your posts to gather some pronoia, quiety and peace … to keep me grounded … Congratulations on a great A-Z – cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/z-is-for-zebra-zoo-and-zedland.html
LOL – now there’s at thought Hilary – a zakkaed brain! Thanks always for your kind words and continued visits. I’m so glad you got to play in this year’s challenge. You are an educator supreme!
The everyday sacred, the mundane, the overlooked is the stuff monumental happiness is made up of. The smallest things are the biggest!
I have so enjoyed reading your posts this A-Z. Thank you.
Congratulations on completing the challenge!
Best wishes always,
Nilanjana
The smallest things really are the biggest. It feels like a delightful cosmic secret, and such fun to be in on it.
Thanks so much for your comments and for visiting – I really appreciate it. It’s been such fun being part of this challenge with you, and I look forward to enjoying more of your writing.
Everyday sacred – what a wonderful concept. Thanks for bringing us peace and quiety this month, Deborah. Congrats on completing another A to Z. I believe you are the reason I joined last year! I had to skip a letter (or 4!) because I forgot how long my “creative process” takes but I have my letter Z almost done for later today. Thanks for all your visits to my scrapbook adventure this month!
Thanks for the kind words Janet, and I’m glad you played along this year as well. And don’t think of it as “skipping” any letters – think of it as creatively alphabetizing. 🙂 You get bonus points for all the creating and writing you’ve done for each entry.
Wow! what a wonderfully wonderful Z Deborah . Your post was so soothing that just by reading it , i felt a miraculous sense of calm . I am ready to begin my quest for a balance between ‘being ” and “doing “. 🙂 🙂
Have really relished my visits to your blog, with rich food for the soul ,in each post. I would need to come back and re-read them to know them more deeply . Thanks for visiting my blog and being a precious part of my journey through the challenge. 🙂
Congratulations and best wishes,
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com
I appreciate your kind words and frequent visits Moon – it’s been such a joy to connect.
The Japanese are indeed the masters of words that have meanings that can confound westerners. Love today’s word.
Phillip | Z is for Zines | Zoinks! I made it to the end!
Very true! Thanks for stopping by Phillip, and hope you had a delightful A-to-Z-ing experience.
. . . that which brings us pleasures, things we hold as treasures . . . yes, if only we could pare down our lives to surround ourselves with what is truly important. But we continue to fear missing out on something important and horde without discretion. You have given me much to contemplate, Deborah.
Excellent closing to your AtoZChallenge. Congratulations.
Life is always presenting us opportunities to refine what’s important to us, but we’re the ones who have to pay attention.
Thanks for visiting and commenting Gail. And congratulations to you as well – it’s been a wonderful April hasn’t it?
A clean finish and a great theme! Well done!
Thanks John. It’s been a wonderful challenge!
Hi Deborah, I think you explained Zakka quite well. I once took a Japanese for business quick six week course and the instructor struggled to explain some words to us, too. Beautiful post.
Congratulations on a successful A to Z! I look forward to seeing you around 🙂
Emily | My Life In Ecuador
Thanks Emily! I look forward to seeing you around as well. After we have a bit of a post-challenge rest I think. 🙂
I enjoyed expanding my vocabulary this month with you. Congratulations on your prolific blogging!
I’m definitely a believer and appreciator of the everyday sacred and feel sad that so many people do seem to not notice so much of the little, beautiful things that happen or can be seen everyday, just by paying attention to the moment. Just 5 minutes ago, I was out standing under one of our trees , as night is beginning to fall, where a new hummingbird feeder is hanging, and the tiniest little hummingbird was so thirsty she didn’t care that I was literally 6 inches from her. I see them everyday but she was so close that I was surprised and awed, again, at her extreme tiny-ness (and cuteness).
Thanks Candace.
What a wonderful experience! Hummingbirds feel like other-world creatures to me, entirely magical. I’m always delighted when you capture a photo for us to enjoy.
There seems to be quite a lot of Japanese words that have multiple meanings and are nuanced about it that makes it hard to explain to someone who has never spent time in the country.
Congrats on finishing the challenge.
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Yes, it seems to me that both the Japanese language and culture are more complex and nuanced than ours.
Congratulations to you as well for finishing the challenge – what a fun month!
Zakka is a new term for me. I love the concept. I am going to read more about them.
Thank you for \ dropping by my blog. Congrats on finishing the A to Z Challenge. Every post was wonderful
A to Z Reflections: Looking Back In Time
Thank you. And congratulations to you as well. It was a fun, if exhausting, month, and I can’t wait to do it again next year. 🙂
Zakka is a lovely word. Short and effective. 🙂
Congrats on crossing the A to Z finishing line, Deborah! Your theme was wonderful.
I agree that the world is filled with goodness and we can encourage the growth and unfolding of it.
If each one does his little bit in his little corner of the world, then all the little bits add up!
See you on the #WATWB circuit.
I agree Michelle – the little bits can add up exponentially. I’m looking forward to more #WATWB goodness, too.
Thanks so much Ambassador for Pronoia Deborah – yours have been such a delight to read. Always calming to me – and a delight to the eye as well for the pictures you add. I’ll be keeping your posts for further inspiration. Well, I love that word zakka – finding beauty in the mundane, whether a lizard in the grass, a leaf, drinking a delicious cup of coffee. When I feel knackered, I’ll remind myself of zakka’d – it’s the small things that count as much as the big …
Have a wonderful May! It’s a public holiday here in SA as well as the UK. I don’t know whether it’s in the US as well? Here, we say, a pinch and a punch for the 1st of the month … done very gently of course.
Thank you again!
Thanks for the kind words Susan – I so appreciate them.
While May Day isn’t a public holiday here, I love celebrating it. May Day spring flower baskets and a tip of the hat to labor as well. Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
What a great word and concept. I love finding joy in the little things. They seem to make life more bearable. Thank you for a lovely month, and congrats on finishing the challenge!
Thanks Sara. Congratulations to you as well. May we always be surrounded by things that bring us joy.
A perfect way to end this series Deborah: To notice and embrace: “The fleeting moments of beauty, the small things that bring us pleasure.”
I’ve learnt so much from your posts. Yes, I do feel like a sponge right now–soggy with a sense of well being.
Thank you for these posts and for all the fabulous ‘new’ words .
Z is for Zagreb and Zindagi
Soggy with a sense of well-being – I LOVE that Arti!
I’m so glad our paths crossed thanks to the challenge, and I look forward to more of your writing.
Ooo I am a thirsty sponge! 😀 And I agree, we should all be that way, soaking up joy and happiness from even the everyday mundane things. I think there are quite a lot of zakka in my home – I always try to have a purpose for everything we buy, even if the purpose is to be pretty on a shelf. 🙂
You’ve had some really great words this month! Congratulations on finishing the A-Z Challenge! 😀 What are you doing to celebrate?
Here’s my “Z” post 🙂 http://nataliewestgate.com/2017/05/zealous-secret-diary-of-a-serial-killer
Shelf-pretty is an excellent purpose in my world too Natalie. 🙂
The challenge was great fun, and I appreciate all your comments and kindness. I’m celebrating with pie. Perhaps 2 slices. 😉
I’m surrounded by everyday things on a daily basis and feel blessed in so many ways. Beauty is in everything if you look at it the right way.
Nice job making your way to the end of the Challenge. Congratulations and thank you for being a part of the 2017 A to Z.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Not sure why my name didn’t show up correctly but guess it was some kind of weird glitch.
Arlee Bird
Tossing It Out
LOL – I’m not sure why either Arlee, but I’m guessing even the comments form got a little tired as the challenge was wrapping up. 🙂
But in any case, thanks so much for stopping by, and for being a super host of the challenge. I had tons of fun.
I love the idea of Zakka. I’m not very practiced at the minimalist style of living. I surround myself with things I love and which make me feel comforted and happy and I think that’s okay because that’s what works for me. 🙂
Cait @ Click’s Clan
Absolutely Cait – you should arrange your life in all the ways that make you happy. Wishing you all the best, and thanks so much for stopping by.