A friend once described me as a "cracked pot," then went on to describe an image of a pot with cracks in it that was carried to a water source each day and, when it was returned, leaked water along the path. Where the water leaked onto the earth, the plants and flowers flourished. I thought that was a very generous interpretation of what a cracked pot might offer to the world and was flattered that he could apply the image to me. In that one image, he acknowledged that he perceived my many flaws and still recognized that what was within me still had some value. One of the real challenges that anybody faces in life is to come face-to-face with ones flaws and imperfections and to accept them without being defined by them.

       I spent many years as a psychologist, psychotherapist, teacher, supervisor and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students in a counseling center in a large southern university. My experiences there were humbling and rewarding. One of the important lessons I learned for myself and have attempted to pass along to those I have worked with in various capacities is that it is important to "fall in love" with one's ignorance. Accepting that to be ignorant is merely to not know something rather than a sign that one is stupid or dumb is the key to using one's ignorance to advance one's learning. Rather than saying, "I don't know and that is awful!" one can say to themselves: " I don't know; how to I find out?" Keeping an open mind and being flexible is important to both good mental health and to becoming a better problem solver.

       On my office door I kept a cartoon of one of my favorite Peanuts comic strip characters, Linus, who was holding his blanket to the side of his head and sucking his thumb while saying: "The world's heaviest burden is a great potential." That is true, of course, if one always has to attempt to live up to one's potential in every area he or she can imagine. Just imagine how miserable a person would be if she or he HAD to do whatever he or she was capable of, whether they liked it or not. Learning that one can choose which talents and potentials to engage in and develop is a very important life task.

       I have no idea whether or not this blog will be read by anybody. I see it as a place where I can store ideas and observations that I have made over the years and that I continue to make as I continue my path through life. Some of these will be expressed as poems and pictures, some as stories or brief notes.  If something leaks out that is interesting or entertaining to others, that will be a happy accident.

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