As a potter, I spend a lot of time alone in the studio. As a potter who lives in the sticks and is somewhat of an introvert (extroverts read ‘recluse’) I spend the majority of my time alone. I’m not complaining. I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do, or anywhere I’d rather be. Besides, it gives me time to think.

Lately I’ve been paying a good deal of attention to the thoughts running through my head every day. And that is what’s so weird. They quite often don’t make much sense. Maybe they used to back in the day, maybe not even then.

I doubt I’m alone in this. I may have more time than most for introspection, but I suspect a lot of the blather that fills my head is clogging up psyches all over the planet this very minute. Our adversity to aging is one example.

Oh to be Young Again
What’s with the nonsensical wish to remain young forever? Or at least look like we are. If ever there was a losing battle, this would be it. We’ll waste untold resources in the pursuit of even the slightest smoothing of our (what must certainly be prematurely) aging skin. Plastic surgery that attempts to remove the effect of the years is big business. And we’ve all seen the results of one too many face lifts - that grimacing smile that looks more scarecrowish than youthful. And why? A face, proudly worn, wrinkled with laugh lines and years of a life well lived is altogether beautiful. Even if it’s on a woman; maybe especially if it’s on a woman. I notice this quite often, yet a couple of weeks ago I was conned by some good advertising into sending for this stuff that’s supposed to erase wrinkles in six weeks (coincidently two weeks longer than its 30-day free trial offer). I did manage to come to my senses and send it back before they charged my Visa account the $150 they say the stuff is worth (on sale of course). Besides, it didn't seem to be working . . .