We were talking about music the other day (a bunch of students and I), and in the midst of that chat I was talking about Harry Chapin. Wouldn’t you know it, they didn’t know who he was. I remember how devastated I was the day that Harry Chapin died …
A couple of months ago everyone was weeping and wailing about everyone who died in 2016, and how the best and greatest seemed to be dropping like flies (even though some of the shares on FB were of people who’d passed on long before). It was like some monstrous famous-people-dropping-dead overload! We’re sort of over it now. Bill Paxton died and I didn’t notice any hysteria … Anyway, I’ll get to my point …
One of Harry’s biggest hits was “All My Life’s a Circle”, and that sentiment has hit home with me this week. I’ve got this great bunch of students and people working in my studio right now. They are full of fun and frolic, and at the same time they’re eager to try EVERYTHING you can possibly do with clay (makes me a little leary of YouTube!). One of them has become so good she’s going to take on a beginner class — and that’s part of this circle for sure.
A good friend and I (shout out to Susan Lago) were driving through Scranton, Pennsylvania one year on our way to an NCECA conference (pottery conference in the US) — and we specifically stopped and stayed overnight in Scranton so that we could see in person the hill where 30,000 pounds of bananas were spewed when a truck driver lost control of his truck (true story). Harry Chapin immortalized this story in song, and it became a signature performance piece.
Anyway, yes, my life’s a circle. Teachers become students. Students become teachers. Students become lifelong friends. And, sometimes, we go a little bananas …
Hope you’re having a great day!
Susan McD
