I have a tendency to focus too much on the future. Or the past.
Let’s think about what I could have done better with this situation, or that one, or…
What if this happens in the future? What if THIS? Oh my….
It’s a human crime, to keep preparing for the unknown and to keep pining for what’s behind us.
I have only been able to really, really dive into the present through my pottery class.
In each class, I made sure I kept my hands focused on the clay, to keep it centered; if I let my mind wander, then the clay went out-of-whack. And there went the pottery idea I had.
I was in a small class with jovial classmates for eight weeks. I didn’t ask for much help from the instructor; I just sat there at my pottery wheel, mesmerized by the clay forming in my hands, wondering what the finished product would look like.
Trimming away the pieces, trying to “perfect” the final form before it goes into the kiln for the first round of firing…this whole process also taught me that imperfections are normal. Nobody/nothing is or can be perfect. My pieces came out as bowls with dips in the rim, uneven bottoms, etc. But I wanted them that way. I wanted them to be imperfectly beautiful.
And when I held my first completed piece of pottery in my hands, glazed and everything: a huge sense of awe and pride. This piece of art was created by me. Nobody can take that away from me.
