Day Two:

I woke up late again this morning. I raced down stairs to grab a quick shower only to find the water was cold again. I shivered through a quick rinse, toweled off and began the search for a clean outfit to put on and just my luck, found more dirty clothes than clean. Relief hit me when I spotted my favorite blouse hanging there. As I put it on, I spotted the effects of my lunch last week. “Oh, man”, I forgot about the spill. I had every intention of pre-treating before I washed that load of clothes, must have forgotten to do that. Okay, back to the closet. That sweater doesn't look too bad, it will have to do.
Rushing around to find a quick breakfast, I grabbed a muffin and a cup of warmed over coffee. Not the best source of nutrition, but it would have to hold me until lunch. I found my pocketbook, my cell phone, my shoes, now where are those keys? Frantic by now, a heavy case of hot flashes began to wilt my hair and run down my face. Under the chair cushion, the hidden keys hit the floor as I bumped into their hiding place. Okay, finally I think I'm ready. Out the door and off to work.
When your in a hurry, running behind, what can you almost always count on? The unexpected of course! First I managed to get behind a trash truck. I got around that only to find myself behind a school bus. “Oh boy, lucky me”.I pulled in to my parking space with maybe enough time to clock in with out being late. Once in my office, I settle in to my desk chair and try to relax and think, “ how could this day have been different?”. It occurs to me that beginning a day the way I just did can only ruin the rest of it unless I take steps to break the cycle. Thats when the lessons from the clay kick in, and I see a glimmer of hope for a better day.
As a potter, I learned quickly that the first step to success on the potter's wheel begins with well prepared and well centered clay. Holding a ball of clay in my hands fills me with such a deep feeling of hope and promise. But the promise will come to nothing if the clay is not centered. When centering clay, it helps to imagine a post growing upwards from the center of the wheel head. That post is there to give your clay stability and a firm place from which to grow.
The absence of being centered results in clay that wobbles, spins wildly in haphazard directions. This clay will not hold a true form or provide as an appealing result as it might have, had it been centered correctly. Clay not centered is at the mercy of gravity and the forces of a spinning potters wheel.
I can take from the clay this lesson and apply it to life in general. When the world seems slightly slanted in a way that throws me off my center I have to remember what the clay has taught me. “Center thy self”, the voice in my head tells me. I try and reposition myself. Deep breathes, awareness of tense muscles, erasing frowns, letting words percolate before sharing, all of these things are part of the process of centering. It takes great concentration to block out negative voices and the multitude of worldly distractions, but it is necessary to succeed at finding joy in your day.
A potter once told me to center my clay by imagining a post, extending upward from my potter's wheel. My goal would be to form the clay in a tight, well controlled ball of potential around this post. Potter's use experience, strength, and perhaps the imaginary post to center the clay. A person seeking a centered soul must find the source from which to build their core. A Christian has the word of God and faith to use as the centering pole for life. This core is unbreakable. It is capable of withstanding the harshest conditions that life can throw at it. It won't matter how hard the winds blow or the earth around you shakes as long as you have your life centered on God.
A well centered person can withstand the stresses, the disappointments, the problems that arise in everyday life. Centeredness creates a depth of calm that permeates words, thoughts, actions and reactions to life. This person becomes useful to those around them and to God, because they now have the ability to focus on facts, the words and the situations that they find themselves in with a clear mind.
To remain centered, takes conscious effort. The results are worth the energy expended to accomplish this task. When the world goes sideways on you, you have to fall back on the well prepared core of strength. It doesn't hurt the process for me to imagine the successes I have had with the clay. I can picture the forms of the pottery that have come from my kiln. They have provided me an enormous amount of pleasure. But the lessons apply to non-potters as well. Inner peace that comes from a successful day of interactions with the world is priceless to anyone that can achieve it.
I can begin my tomorrow better with the simplest of changes. Clothes chosen the night before, alarm clock set at least a half hour sooner, healthy breakfast choices available and morning reminders of my lessons from the clay. The simple words “center thyself” can bring me closer to the core of strength in my life, my faith in God.
As you begin your day tomorrow after reading this story, I hope you will remember this tool for surviving the onslaught of the world around you. Find your core of strength and center yourself. The rest of the world will take care of itself, and your day will not blow you sideways.