I watched her skillful hands do the seemingly impossible. From a cold, moist lump of clay emerged a beautiful and functional piece of art. The whir of her potter’s wheel lulled me as I watched her clay-covered hands cooperate with the spinning wheel to create the formless lump into an exquisite bowl. From the wheel to the drying rack to the kiln to the art show or sales shelf – the process never ceased to amaze me. But what shocked and surprised me even more was what she did with the inevitable broken or damaged piece.
I have marveled for years at the creative expression within such art. For a few years, I was fortunate to co-own an art studio. The other owner is a potter. She held the vessels she made and worked so hard on with tender grace and care. She would cup her hands around their body with her fingertips as she remembered the time and place of their creation.
Broken or damaged. . . my, how that has applied to my life at times. You know, each of those pottery pieces was designed with a purpose in mind. . .
Purpose for many of us is what gets us up in the morning. Why do you do what you do? Did you answer: to provide for family, to save for the future, or to make financial ends meet today? All these things are valid and important. Yet life changes our bodies, our pocketbooks and sometime our minds; sometimes we begin to question the purpose of life.
Hang on to that thought of purpose and imagine with me... those clay vessels, ...plates, teapots, cups, bowls, mugs, pitchers – each is fashioned for a specific purpose, tenderly handcrafted by artisans on potter’s wheels. Have you watched clay vessels being thrown and sculpted to perfection? Have you marveled after they were glazed and fired to brilliance? I have. I have held their forms and traced their lines. Each vessel had been crafted after the potter's scheme and idea. Each piece fashioned for a specific purpose. Okay, got the picture?
Sometimes, though, when we set up an art display or traveled to a show, damage would occur to the precious pieces. No matter how carefully we wrapped or packed, a handle would break off, a spout or a bowl's rim would crack. At first, I grieved as the damage reduced the vessel’s ability to perform. I became saddened when I felt we had "lost" a vessel. As I learned about this art form, the truth of broken vessels set me free from my despair over damage.
For a potter, old clay is better than new clay. When we purchased new clay, we would season it by letting it soak in water, or beer -- letting it age, so to speak. But the best part of rendering clay for use, was "grog" or fired clay which had been finely ground. Oftentimes when we were ready to use the new clay, my business partner would take the clay vessels that had been broken or damaged and grind them down into minute pieces. She would then mix the old with the new. The old clay would give the new clay needed and required texture to fulfill its purpose. The new needed the old to perform the best it could.
So even with use and wear and tear, nothing was ever truly lost. . .For each vessel to be expected to fulfill its intended purpose, it had to contain both the new clay and the "experienced" clay. That clay that had already been through the firing of the kiln. . . thru the "life cycle " of a vessel.
Thus, the damaged vessel just became part of something new.
It is one of the grandest truths I learned through that venture.
Getting older and having our physical, mental or financial ability change doesn't have to alter our effort, determination or reason to live. The inexperienced need the knowledge and wisdom of the experienced. Age truly has nothing to do with years on the calendar. You may be seasoned in one area of life but yet unproven in another. All people need help. I need your expertise. Perhaps you need mine. Only by sharing yourself can you continue to grow. We may not be able to do everything we used to do, but there are still things we can do and things that need to be done.
Your life's work is not over because you can't do everything you are accustomed to doing.
I challenge you to look at your future with this vantage point:"How can I take what I know and put it to good use?Who needs what I can do? How could I offer my unique gifts and talents to this organization?”
Can't walk? Then talk! Can't invest money? Then invest time! Can't write? Then listen! Can't work? Volunteer! Can't hear? Then write!
There is always a way to make a difference. Be challenged to find your outlet and stop wasting time! You can do it....I know you can!
