Part of the philosophy of Playful living is to view everything in terms of relationships. We obviously have relationships with other humans, but with a closer look, we have relationships with everything we encounter. We hold a coffee cup a certain way. We probably have some degree of emotional response to the cup, and the coffee. Actually, the cup was designed based on our relationship with our hands and how they interact with holding; designed specifically for a human hand to hold a certain amount of hot liquid (usually 12 to 20 ounces) in a manner easy for ingestion and to not burn oneself in the process. Designs are also often aesthetically pleasing, nostalgic, or humorous. Sometimes being handmade out of clay, the person crafting the mug has a relationship with the tools they use and the clay itself. They have knowledge of the clay and it’s properties, what happens when moisture or elements are added or when it’s heated certain ways to varying temperatures. Their hands have a relationship with manipulating the clay. Like any relationship, it was developed by spending time together, asking questions in the form of applying pressure in different ways and learning how the clay reacts. The clay tells them when their hand isn’t steady enough to create even smoothness, it tells them when the structure of the hand is correct to make the sides grow.
Viewing learning in this light, any amount of touch will give someone a better understanding of clay. The growth and understanding that comes from each interaction won’t always be equal, but it will always be there. Watching and learning techniques from people who have a highly developed relationship with clay will often give great insights, especially in certain phases of the learning process. However, everybody’s relationship with clay will be unique, and relationships with each individual piece will be unique as well, just as no two conversations are exactly the same. One will be better equipped to learn from a master if they have some experience with how the clay feels, some reference or relationship as a basis for understanding the lessons given.
At the coffee shop where I like to work, they have mugs that look like dinosaur eggs. Nothing I order has ever been served in one, so I asked the other day what they use them for. They’re for tea. I usually drink coffee. I’m a little jealous and might start drinking tea. They also told me that someone else mentioned they should turn it into a dinosaur themed cafe once they get the whole set…
What are some relationships you have that you don’t typically think about? Do you ever have relationship issues with activities or inanimate objects? How might viewing things in terms of relationships affect your perspective and actions?
Fives hours or so after writing this post, I ordered tea (for the second or third time) and got the dinosaur egg mug for first time. I’m pretty exited and had to share.
