Joyce Lee on tue 6 aug 02
Most of the time I'm very, very pleased that my life has occurred as it =
has ... since we truly cannot take all paths that are open to us ...... =
at least, not all at the same time. I absolutely relished being an =
educator...... teacher of almost all levels .... began with that huge =
gaping hole into which kids were dropped in those days when nobody knew =
what to do with them in the "regular" classroom, Special Education =
...... and ended my career with 15 years as an administrator. Like =
most teachers I knew, I worked sick for fear that the substitute =
wouldn't treat my kids well ....... when I taught junior high, I feared =
that my KIDS would try some of their more vicious games on an unwary =
sub; feared? I KNEW they would .... got to high school and found that =
microcosmic world of budding idealists/criminals/solid =
citizens/neurotics/psychopaths/bigtime brains/ordinary folk .... most =
with creativity as boundless as their hormones, so exciting that I =
couldn't bear to be away.... afraid I'd miss something.. =20
I wouldn't have chanced losing those experiences .... probably =
appreciated them more because I took such a roundabout way to get there =
after being a stay-at-home mom for 12 years. Fortunately, I had my =
family very young so there's been time for it all.
BUT I wouldn't go through those years again either. This Time Right Now =
is too eventful, and I don't have to leave our desert scrub acreage to =
find the challenge either. Most of the time I know that I was meant to =
eventually find clay at this time in its history when there is so much =
available to escalate one's evolvement into a Potter ...... and that I =
was destined to be part of the 2000s, the computer age .... meant to =
find Clayart.... and claybuds by the score.
Right now I'm in the throes of frustration trying to find Val Cushing's =
Handbook with his list of "things to do next" ...... not just for me, =
but to send to other clayarters who seem to need this info about now. =
(Thanks, Karen G., for reminding me.)
That... and Steve Branfman's Raku book .... essential book for rakuers. =
My raku experiences are so far between that I'd never make it through a =
firing without once again reading Steve's inspiring text.
AND that great list a claybud sent me of 20 or more ways to =
enhance/change the look of shino.=20
I NEED all three right now to continue the=20
work I've been doing the last three months. Either that or just keep =
piling up the bisque. Clay concerns have been going on for about 5 =
years now.... considering that I spent the first year in clay, which =
would make it six, trying to find out what I wanted to do with this =
magical substance which evoked childhood memories of making clay =
patty-cakes for plates, and serving sour-grass and violets on them, for =
teaparties.
A cousin swears that some of those "plates" were tiny square forms ... =
she thinks that's why I'm so attracted to The Square right now. Ok. I =
can buy that. BUT what attracted me to the square form way back when I =
barely knew "my shapes"??? Do I have time to indulge in such questions? =
Why, yes, I do..... it's all in the Name of Clay, after all, eh?
Joyce
In the Mojave glad, too, to finally confront the topic of "what is =
enough money," triggered by David's and Kelly's posts.
In my business major days ....... when I was only 17, but already with =
five years contemplating the mysteries of money, since at the age of 12 =
I began waitressing an ever growing number of hours weekly ... enough =
years to appreciate the value of a quarter tip. This "work" of =
providing service to the general public taught me more than all the =
years of "allowances" ... provided from the age of 4, given for the =
purpose of teaching me that very value ... which was lost on me as =
evidenced by my eagerness to hit the dimestore and spend my pennies on =
jawbreakers, which hurt my mouth somethin' awful but lasted for days. =20
In those early college years some clever visiting business guru told =
our economics class that "enough money" was whatever you had plus =
$2,000 more yearly.... that this applied to all income brackets..... =
from zero to unbelievably vast amounts of maybe $30,000 a year.
(If I recall correctly, teachers were making about $200.00 monthly .... =
movies were nine cents ...)
Now, I know better...... or times have changed...... for me, anyhow. My =
personal "Enough" is whatever I have .... and I work within those =
parameters ... of course, kids are reared ... only have the expensive =
westie to support .... trying to get rid of goods, not accumulate more =
..... typical retired folk.... with the rewarding and unimagined
adjunct of "trying to be a potter".......=20
| |
|
