Lessons from the Wheel

Its not easy learning how to throw on the wheel. I have been trying to learn - I've put it off long enough. But it takes time to learn this skill. For me it seems an unreasonably long time. That's why I always gave up in the past.  

So I have had to ease up on the idea of perfection with this media. The clay like some wise old sage instructing me calmly, immovably to master my impatience, to curb my worry, to learn "the ways of the clay" as it spins and spins on the wheel.

I can only control it with the utmost attention, focus and sensitivity. Like a living being, it is.

Oh Yoda, help!

Being Perfect

I read Howard Schiffke's post today on Parkinson's personality traits. What he said rang a bell for me. One trait he mentioned was the impulse to seek perfection in oneself. Howard advises that instead of beating yourself up about your mistakes or shortcomings, remember this:

Your best is your best; you cannot do any better than that. Be kind to yourself and accept that if you are doing your best, it is the best you can do, and it is good enough!

That seems reasonable, right? But to this personality, it's not so easy. For me my diet has been a source of much guilt and confusion. No matter how I promise to be good on a daily basis bloopers occur - I eat a couple of cookies, I have seconds of dinner, snack on unknown quantities of tortilla chips right out of the bag with salsa, etc. Then, no matter how wonderfully healthful and gourmet my cooking has been, how spartan my recent repasts, I am riddled with guilt that I have not been PERFECT.

So I decided to make fairly strict rules for myself, and just like during the cleanse, follow these rules faithfully for a certain time period. I don't have to be perfect on this diet, but I'm not really supposed to veer very much either. For me I feel more secure with rules. When each day was free to be "whatever" with only the intent to be moderate with my diet, it was much too easy to shove the intent aside for the pleasure of food now.

Discipline is positive action. It is not about perfection, but perfection was an issue when I had no rules.