Messages of the Day

With all going in our life, I decided it may help to focus on a single theme for the day. Rita found a tile piece she made with clay and wanted to hang it somewhere in the house.

As it happens, this tile piece can be used as a ‘white board’ and can be written on with a dry erasable marker. As often, I had an idea. I asked her if I could write a ‘message for the day’. She agreed and we hung it on one of the post where we frequently pass by. To catch our eye and remember the theme of the day.

Here are some:

The technical part of me wants to vent about how many steps it takes to get from the message written on the clay tile to my blog. Let me just summarize it by saying, it’s not rival.

The messages or theme of the day, may have multiple meaning. Take the May 28 example. We have to take our trash out to the road every Wednesday evening so it will be here in the wee-hours in the morning (6:00 am to 7:30 am) when the trash truck goes by. If we wait until Thursday morning, we often either forget it, or get it out too late because we prioritize coffee over getting the trash out.

However, the theme’ “Take the trash out” may also apply to your house or even your brain. It is hard to focus your brain if you a constantly thinking of the latest news highlights or some phone alert.

Likewise it is hard to accomplish tasks at home if you are working in an environment where there is too much trash around you.

When I throw on the potter’s wheel, I want nothing else around me bu the necessities for throwing. No cell phone to interrupt me, no music to distract me, no coffee, scotch glass, or other projects I started. Nothing but the tools for throwing.

I recent set up what I call studio version 4.0. Actually, it is only the throwing part of a pottery studio. Since it is a small room, I decided to implement the ‘small house’ concept and have in it only the things needed to throw the pieces. The other parts of the pottery process, glazing, firing will be done in another room – that will have its own focus on the process.

Below are some pictures of the room. It’s a prototype for now. I threw my first pot in it and found I need to make some minor adjustments to make it more efficient. It will be come version 4.1, then, next week, I may make more improvements and it will be version 4.15 maybe.

I believe life is somewhat like that. We keep making adjustments as we move from birth to death. Some may call it ‘living’. Somebody said: “Life is what happens in between making plans to live.” I got the quote totally wrong, but will, maybe, someday look up the quote and do it correctly.