The Freedom To Do Things Badly
September 10 
Today I split some wood. I'm not very good at it, but I've always loved doing things that are not my forte. Example: pottery classes at the 92nd Street Y. I stink at pottery. But the (very few) objects I made during my ten week sessions there are among my very favorite objects in the world.
At Least They Hold Liquid
At the risk of being a hopeless dabbler, I persist. I want my kids so witness both the attempt and the imperfection. I want to convey to them this: do it anyway. Split wood, even if your daddy can split four times as much in half the time. Make ceramic sake cups even if they're lopsided and the glaze runs. Frost lopsided birthday cakes with glee, and sketch horses that look like anteaters. Do these things for the sake of feeling the maul in your hands, and the crack as the log finally gives.
Even if you don't ever manage to get in touch with your inner woodsman, it will only be that much easier to try the next thing.
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Reader Comments (4)
Perfect! Thank you. I stink at carpentry, but I keep building things anyway. Lopsided hay racks, wobbly seed starting stands. Same for kung fu. I keep watching the students who started after me move on ahead of me because they learn it so much faster than I do. Sometimes I feel like I'm in 8th grade P.E. class again.
But I'm learning to be okay with stinking at something. In fact, I agree 100% that it's a valuable lesson for our children. If all they ever see are paragons of perfection on television, well it's no wonder if they decide not to bother because they're not that good.
Let them see us try and fail and try again. Yay, for doing things we stink at!
Yes! And it's such a good excuse, right? "I MUST take this $100 pottery class, for the sake of my children's self-esteem."
Abso-freakin-lutely! And now, where did I put that registration form for that ballroom dance class...
I love this attitude! I confess to being a bit of a dilettante -- I sketch, but not often, I was once into sewing crazy Renaissance costumes (but now only mend), I have bread baking frenzies (but they don't last). I've been into pottery for the past two years, and I'm hoping to have finally found something to stick with. (At the same time, I'm tempted by the precious metal clay class I saw advertised at the local community center.) But why not try new things and have new experiences? Life is short!