Building Beliefs

When you make a clay box, it takes a couple days.  Ideally, you let the clay slabs (aka large clay pancakes) that you roll out sit for awhile.  You let the soft clay that so easily twists and turns - become harder and less mobile.  The reason you do this is so that the walls of your box will stand firm, and not droop.  No one can work with droopy walls.  The clay becomes what is called leather hard and it's really a beautiful state for clay to be in.  I actually like it best...it can be carved, painted, shaved, cut, and handled with ease.

I was thinking about how building clay walls is sort of like building belief systems.  A belief system is a set of core values assigned by yourself to yourself for living in a way that works best for you.....a sort of road map of safe places and not so safe places.
Beliefs are built by experiences in the world, experiences in the world are built by trial and error, your interpretation of experiences and people, and "bumping into" everyone else's beliefs.   Some of these experiences are not what you think they are.....and a wall goes up.  A belief takes shape.  No one can get in.

It takes time to build beliefs.  You core values take life experience to solidify the list.   Beliefs - and clay's shape - will not be instant, it will be a string of moments....and I want to enjoy every moment.  

What beliefs have you built that are UNchangeable for you?
What beliefs have you built that might need breaking down?