The Rae Dunn craze was all the buzz. In just a few years it became a household name with women swarming the shops looking for that one item to complete their collection. My family didn’t escape the madness. Entering my daughters home after not having visited for several months, I found the dining room covered ceiling to floor in the cream colored pottery. Each individual piece with bold black etching of a word defining the dish or evoking a sentiment.
It wasn’t long before I began to receive these treasured items as gifts. Admittedly, I was not initially a fan, but I have since come to appreciate the small collection of Rae Dunn coffee mugs bestowed upon me, and I too, proudly display them.
Today as I write, I am sipping a cup of tea from a purposely made, imperfect, Rae Dunn mug as I contemplate the word LOVELY etched into its reflective glaze.
Is this mug lovely?
The uneven lip of the mug is irregular, and the unevenness creates a bit of a lopsided look. The body has just the slightest concave areas that soften and give a delicate curve to an otherwise clunky looking piece. Today my mug holds the earthy taste of dandelion tea. It’s a taste I happen to love, but, like this awkwardly attractive mug, it may not be everyone’s preference.
Preference/Perception
How many of us have met someone who we weren’t initially fond of, but who we grew to love and cherish? How about just the opposite? That one person you looked up to and admired, only to realize they are not the person you believed them to be. It seems to be a given that people will disappoint, but, just as our perceptions vary and our preferences distinguish us, those disappointments in no way decrease a persons value.
I’ll never forget the afternoon of my youngest daughters graduation. In preparation of the outdoor event I was piling my hair into a bun when my significant other randomly said, “That makes your face look fat”!
I’ve had compliments since that moment, expressing that having my hair up, or worn short is flattering, but in that moment with… let’s call him Bud … I allowed his opinion to deflate me. I hadn’t learned that another’s opinion or perception didn’t define me. I took on his critique as fact, and for years I replayed that moment, hearing his words, every time I styled my hair up. In an effort to please him, I wore my hair down that day. It wasn’t the first people pleasing moment, or the last, that I would have, but that moment of having my ego bruised stuck with me. I’m so thankful that I’m in a place today where I can feel lovely, not because of someone’s opinion of me from their own skewed perception, but because I know who I am and I know that I strive to be my best self, to do the right thing, and to lead with love.
In doing so, I’ve grown to understand that if another doesn’t have the capacity to accept my flaws and blunders, and love me unconditionally, it is their perception that lacks depth in viewing me as a whole person and not as a sum of my mistakes or differences. That is a journey for them to travel and not a situation for me to fix. Today when I have inadvertently disappointed someone and they strike out with their opinion of my character, or actions, I take the time to reflect on my choices and my actions, and then, when I am sure I have done my best in that circumstance, I move on in life & leave them to adjust their own perception of me, or not. Another’s opinion does not define my loveliness, inside or out. I’ve come to understand that my vantage point in any given moment, may be quite different from theirs. We are lovely, inside and out, we just may not be everyone’s cup of tea!
Seeds of Hope 