covid restrictions invite change

A new lamp smoothly spun under my alert fingers as I sat at the pottery wheel. I had centered the lump of wonky clay, savoring the rest following resistance. I had opened the clay, as I open my own soul to whatever may come in the moment of stillness. I put pressure on the inside floor for stability, and thought about my early childhood in Ethiopia, where I internalized an identity as a global citizen, a firm foundation for an intercultural life. I gave strength to the sides as they rose higher between conflicting pressures of my fingers, inside and outside, and recognized the need to embrace conflict with the patient arms of trust in the process: Stay Calm, Stay Connected and Stay the Course.

It was time to collar in the neck of the lamp. I paused. No one likes to be constricted. I like my options to be open. I like freedom. I don’t like other people telling me what to do. Yet, here we all are, in the midst of a pandemic. For the sake of each other we are wearing masks and delaying gatherings. So much has been lost. I had no other choice but to go ahead and wrap my hands around the pliable clay and constrict it, sensing my own acceptance of what has to be done for the good of all. The clay beneath my hands grew thicker as the opening narrowed. My resource of usable clay had increased in the constriction process. Now, I had extra clay to pull a tall neck, and opened it to form a rim to hold the dancing flames. I felt the familiar thrill of the clay and me being one in our efforts to welcome something new. Something useful. Something that invited hope, light and Presence.

During CoVid, most of my art and craft shows were cancelled, my inventory of lamps grew, and my bank account shrank. I was alert to possibilities. Constriction invites change. Like the additional resources of clay thickening during the constriction of the lamp neck, I found I had an additional resource. I had extra time to diversify, keeping my focus on creating calming sights and sounds for a space of stillness in this whirling world. Through an enlivening process of listening to God and others, I started creating tabletop waterfalls. It has taken me six months to figure out a design and internal water workings. It takes weeks to put a test waterfall through the drying, firing, glazing and re-firing process. I had patience with the possibilities and continue to make changes. Click on the Waterfalls link to see my progress.

Constriction invites change. Without CoVid, I would not have waterfalls to offer you. What new possibilities have you imagined from unwanted constriction? How are possibilities balanced with patience and trust? What extra resource do you have that may not yet be noticed?