Otter! And I Won! (Sort of)

Part One--The Otter

I confess to impulse shopping occasionally. Very occasionally, actually. My more frequent tendency is to see something I like, but do the "wise" thing of saying, "Well, if I leave it and go home and am still thinking I want/need it a week or two from now, then I'll come back and get it."

Over time I've learned that that is often a very wise thing to do.

And over time I've also learned that you can lose the chance to get something you really wanted, because it's not there anymore when you go back!

So, when I saw this otter mug for sale at the Memphis Pottery Guild show, I thought it over and decided I really did want it, and it was much easier to get it on the spot than to drive to Mountain View, Arkansas, for it later.

Why an otter mug? Because years ago when I took a little personality "test," I came out mostly otter, with golden retriever as a strong second. Over the years, the otter in me (fun-loving, enthusiastic, etc.) has frequently struggled to keep swimming!

One time when I was out at St. Columba retreat center and had a pair of binoculars (an unexpected and thoughtful gift from my husband!) with me, I was looking out at the lake and saw something I'd never seen . . . an otter! And I could see how they'd gotten the reputation for playfulness and energy. I had more fun watching that little guy swim and turn and flip and float! I'll never forget it, and it was that otter sighting that reminded me of the test taken years before and how I needed to bring more "otterness" back into my life.

So, the otter mug is to remind me that there is more to life than being a golden retreiver, important as that may be. Sometimes you just gotta have fun, and seeing this mug in the morning is a great way to start the day with a smile.

Part Two--Why I Won (Sort of)

Well, obviously, I figured out how to get photos on my blog again. So I "won." But the "sort of" is because it still makes no sense to me why the thing did what it did to begin with, and why what I did fixed it. And I don't like the change I had to make in order to get it to work.

But I confess to being proud of myself for at least going on my hunch and trying what I did (relabelling a photo file). I just wish I could talk to somebody and understand it.