Broken plate

On an afternoon walk I saw a broken plate in a storm drain. Striking white. Black writing on it, that was not a pattern. Smashed as if dropped from the height that I was observing it from.

It looked beautiful. It made me think of Japanese kintsugi pottery, repaired with gold, something broken turned into something even more beautiful than before. In my curiosity I walked down the hill and into the dry storm drain to see what was on the plate.

I cannot know the exact plan and purpose of the plate’s owner, but the story I created is one of freedom and resolution.

The owner of the plate was in a bad place. They wrote all of their pain on the plate. Carried the plate to the park, to a concealed footbridge, and let that plate with all of their pain drop and shatter on the rocks below where I found them. Where I left them.

I am writing this now because I have been on a social media fast this month. I walk a lot and see many interesting and beautiful things on my walks which I will usually tweet or share on Instagram. But for the first 24 days of this month I have resisted the urge to share. Today I remembered why I like to share.

I share because I see interesting and beautiful things that make me think, and I want to get those thoughts out. Whatever those thoughts are about.

I don’t write on crockery and smash my thoughts, although it’s a novel idea. I do love to write though. I enjoy tweeting and posting my photos on Instagram. And this month, taking a break, has allowed me to be more mindful about where I spend my time and where I put my thoughts.

Were it not for my social media break I may not have written this blog post, with my extended thoughts. I may not have even seen the plate. May have walked past it with my face buried in my phone.

So, smash a plate or a tweet. Get your thoughts out. Be mindful, see the beauty and share it.