Potential

I have a very special friend who posted a photo of the picture above on her Facebook wall one day. I recognized it as having been taken on their outside table, from when I was visiting. It 'spoke' to me and I had to draw it, so I contacted her and obtained permission.
To anyone else this would simply be a hammer and some washers. But to me it represented so much more. It represented potential. I knew the owner to be someone who has the ability to create beautiful things from everyday objects. If a hammer and some colourful washers were lying on her table, there would soon emerge a thing of beauty from it. Have you ever noticed how a simple object in a master's hand can create beauty that awes and inspires anyone who looks at it? She is such a master.
This contemplation then led me to wonder about how masterful my own hands were. Do I use my hands to build up or do I use it to tear down? I believe that in life there is a fine balance to uphold between these two opposites. There comes a time when we do need to tear down that which has become obsolete and worthless, not because it no longer holds any worth for ourselves, but because it has come to take away worth from others or its surroundings.
That is when we need to weed these things from our lives. But we need to be very careful when weeding that we do not remove the things which still have value or potential, in the process. And when we have weeded, we need to make sure that we do not leave any voids. We need to create something in the place of that which we have thrown out.
Recently I watched a video on YouTube about a group of people from Paraguay who create musical instruments from discarded rubbish. They then give these instruments to the children living on this landfill and teach them to make music with it. They are called the Landfill Harmonic Orchestra. I've inserted a link here for you to watch the clip.
The Landfill Harmonic
This makes my point for me in a spectacular way. Are we masterfully creating, or are we forgetting to replace where we have torn down and discarded. These violins are worthless when compared to a Stradivarius. Yet they are priceless in the hands of their owners. Just so, a Stradivarius would be worthless in my hands for I do not know how to play a violin. An item's true worth can not be measured in monetary terms or even by who owns it. It's true worth lies in the hands of the master who fulfills its potential.
I want to share a poem by Myra Brooks Welch with you, that has always been dear to me. It is called The Old Violin. This version of the poem is sung by Wayne Watson. Click on the link to listen to it.
The Old Violin


Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:
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Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
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Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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Remember to keep nurturing your TALENT for making PRETTY things.
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