Savouring the moment

No matter who I speak to nowadays, on the whole the story tends to be pretty similar. Everyone's too busy! Regardless of the job they do, or their personal circumstances it seems like we're all just expected to squeeze more into a day to maintain an average standard of living. As a result, the opportunities to stop and smell the roses become fewer as we rush through life.
Last weekend, I was watching Anna play on my wheel. She was completely absorbed by the feeling of the clay in her hands and I could tell that at that moment nothing else mattered to her other than achieving the shape that she had in her mind. I could completely empathise with her. Making pottery (for me at least) requires concentration. Even when I'm making a large repeat batch of pots, each one needs that focus, or before you know it you lose the form you're aiming for or even worse the pot! It's that level of concentration that makes it so appealing. You just have to switch off from everything else. After an hour on the wheel I always feel refreshed. I seem more able to relax and can put the rest of the day's stresses into perspective. It really is a good way of drawing a line under the day.

Anna concentrating and loving it!