Saying Stuff that is Not Nice

We all want to be polite. Kind. Thoughtful.

No one except the mean kids at school actually want to hurt someone else's feelings.

But we do it. For many reasons, we do it. I'm about to do it. Here goes...

Poor Barb. This amazing, fearless, and adventurous woman got "voluntold" to come to our pottery session at the last minute. And of course, she was the one the teacher singled out. Every comment or question Barb asked, no matter how innocent, was met and countered by R. (the teacher and proprietor of the pottery studio), until it got to the point where Barb clasped her hand over her mouth for fear of speaking aloud. During one "messy" part, when R. was explaining how the slip (watery clay with lumps) acted as a glue to hold two pieces of already-worked clay together - Barb made the comment that she doesn't use glue, she uses a glue tape. To which R. immediately replied, "I'm sure you do." It was all in the tone. Poor Barb.

So, I'm a member of the B.C.C.G.. The Brantford Christian Creative Guild. And our small group has been meeting each week, all summer long, to listen to teaching CD's on creative writing, on how to get published, on market trends, etc. This outing to the pottery studio was our first experience with something other than the written word, and we thought we were fortunate to be able to find a pottery studio so close to home. To be able to explore our creativity in

3-dimensional art. For 40 bucks, we could make a clay something-or-other, have it glazed and fired, and even get some pizza and pop thrown in.

My husband and I were really looking forward to this night and so we got there early. (Here's where the saying stuff that is not nice comes in). The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the smell of cat pee. Not too overpowering, just there; mixed in with other smells both familiar and exotic. Clay has an earthy smell. The paints and glazes have a chemical smell. The cats smell like, well, cats; and the birds smell like birds; and mixed in through all of this was the smell of pizza from the next door pizza place.

I wasn't sure what to make of this studio / store. Usually you get a "vibe" when you first walk into a shop. This place was eclectic. Bits of new-age mixed with old world classics. Sun shrines and frog pipes mixed with simple, practical flower pots and urns. The proprietor, R., seemed to be trying way too hard to "spiritualize" the clay. She knew we were Christians, so she even added how "Adam" means "red earth (red clay)". And she told us we were all there for a reason and that we would learn what that reason was before the night was over. (Apparently, my reason for being there was to have something to write about.)

On the positive side,... wait, I'm not actually done with the negatives yet. I haven't mentioned how, despite a 6 o'clock start time, we didn't actually get started until 8. (R. likes to talk. A lot.) I also didn't mention how we were treated like 8 year-olds. "All eyes on me." "Wait for it. Wait for it." I really don't think we needed quite that level of instruction. I already mentioned the smell of cat pee, but I didn't mention the cute little kitten that was obviously not litter trained or the birds that flew freely all around the room, dropping their poop everywhere. (One of our members noticed a rain drum on a shelf and pulled it down to look at it. She got an eyeful of green and yellow bird crap. Another member had her new purse "christened" by the same substance- although possibly from a different bird!

Okay, let's try the positives again. I actually kind of liked the presence of so many animals. There were 5 or 6 cats, 4 or 5 birds, and 2 dogs. The heart in caring for so many animals created a good atmosphere. (It's just too bad we don't live in a warmer climate, where we would have the option of working outside with the animals present there, if we chose to.) The second positive was R. herself. Despite having some obvious control issues, it was also obvious that she loves what she does. That level of passion and creativity are always welcome in my world.

As for the "thing" I made... I don't know yet whether it goes in the negative or the positive column. I have to wait at least 2 weeks to get it back, and then I'll let you know.

I know that by saying stuff that is not nice, I may be sailing too close to the wind, but I guess I'm willing to take that risk. Talk to you all soon.