whelmed.

So, this is a year, alright.  Since the first week of January I feel like I've been on a roller coaster.  Sometimes good, sometimes bad.

The exposure from Southern Living has been incredible.  But I've learned a thing or two from it: about how to make/list/describe pottery, that I won't make everyone happy with my work, and how I should deal with that in the future.  It boils down to the fact that I'm responsible for me and what I put out, but nothing else.  And most importantly, that I can't let my feelings get hurt because I (or my imperfect ware) didn't meet someone else's expectations 100%.  That is a difficult thing for me to get past, but if I'm going to keep doing this, I just have to.   I want to make people happy, but it isn't up to me to ensure that they are overjoyed.

We had snow!  Last monday.  About 6 inches.  It was fun and incredible and there is still a 6 foot tall snowball on the green at Rhodes College, even though it made it up to the mid 40s again on Friday. 

On Friday I had acupuncture, which really really helps my arms.  Despite the rest, despite learning how to re-center and throw differently, I still have tendonitis.  Acupuncture helps SO SO SO much.  Before Christmas I wondered if I would be able to continue pottery as my profession.  I was in both physical and emotional pain because of it.  I'm happy to say that while my arms may never be 100% and I probably shouldn't, say, swing an axe ever again, with proper care and treatment, I'll be able to keep working.

One nice side benefit of acupuncture is that is can be very relaxing.  It is almost as if the "irritation" section of my brain gets turned off and I feel incredibly peaceful.  I was very grateful for this because a dear friend's home burned on Friday.  They lost 90% of their possessions due to fire, smoke, or water damage.  The community I live in- both in Memphis and online- responded with incredible generosity and grace.  By Saturday evening all of my friend's basic needs were met.  I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love I've witnessed.  I'm also overwhelmed with things- donations have been pouring in and I'm working on getting her "good mom" stash of hand-me-downs for her 4 kids boxed up in appropriate seasons and sizes.  I've been very fortunate to have friends hand down clothes for my son- they are all up in the attic in bins waiting for him to be a size 8, 9, etc.  If that security (because somehow, it is security) was suddenly gone, I'd miss it. 

I feel like my life is very full right now- and very busy.  I am grateful to you for your friendship and support.  I had some big plans for making things this month, but they'll wait.  Thanks for being here, and thanks for reading.