The other day, I sadly dropped a piece of pottery that I had made several years ago. It was a very small pinch pot that was fired in a wood kiln. It was nothing special. So I thought. But as it fell to the floor and I gasped in surprise as it slipped through my fingers- my heart stopped. I heard the crack and the tinkle of broken clay as it scattered across the pine kitchen floor. And for a moment a tear came to my eye. Really? Really. For this nondescript little pot- I shed a tear. But then looking around I realized, I would probably do the same thing for any of my pots. They all have a story. Most have been made by the hands of a friend. I never realized how much I care for these mugs, bowls, vases, sculptures. They have become a little piece of me....a part of my home.
That is the wonderful things about handmade pots! Have you ever shed a tear for a broken bowl that was massed produced in China? Knowing that you can get an exact replica makes that piece a little less special. But knowing that a one-of-a-kind piece just smashed into pieces in front of your eyes may just leave your heart a little broken too.
So hold onto your pots a little tighter, hold onto your friends a little closer. Don't let them fall.
