Lonely Caterpillar
 

‘Sometimes the best teacup is chipped’

Do you remember the cartoon the Raggy dolls? It was about some toys that were made with bits on the wrong way or things missing, sounds a bit creepy but was actually really sweet. I loved that show when I was little and I still love it now, I even have a t-shirt with the theme tune written on it. I think that cartoon had a profound effect on my life. I’ve always felt the need to seek out the broken toy and keep it – just ask my mum about the incident of the jumping toy cat that wouldn’t jump. As I got older and thought of teaching, I wanted to help the kids who needed a bit more one to one care (I am not calling any child a raggy doll) and now I have a deep desire to help children before issues occur so that the world can never and will never view them in this way. Let’s face it, the world and lots of people in it are mean and don’t see past a first impression or stereotype. As much as I joke about it, I think it just taught me that we are all equal and of worth regardless of outward appearance. I’ll choose not to over think too much what today’s cartoons might teach my kids (Peppa Pig is no role model!!).

The past few weeks the craziness of life has slowed down over the holidays. We decided as a family to be really relaxed and just enjoy time together without trying to cram in loads of outings and just enjoy being around the house. This gave me and Ben time to catch up on one of my favourite tv programmes, once upon a time. I’ll try not to spoil anything but obviously it’s about fairy tale characters. I already loved Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and in the series we are currently watching Belle says ‘sometimes the best teacup is chipped’. Sometimes words are simple and true but they are just close to your heart and what you’re facing.

As I considered it I thought of how I love a little chipped cup. I’m terrible for dropping things and I love something with character. My Dad’s never done giving off to me to throw away mugs cause they’re always getting chipped. But in life how often is the chipped cup more full of character, the tea set that has different coloured pieces, a handle glued back on and a totally different coloured milk jug to the rest of the set is far more charming to me than a pristine beautiful set sat in a cupboard never used. As pretty as it is, it’s not going to make memories, it’s not going to take part in a girly tea party with my daughter while we drink tea and hot chocolate along with her dolls. It won’t hold a warm cup of tea in a mug full of sugar to take away the shock and ease the tears as we deal with bad news, it won’t hold a super strong cup of coffee while I sit up till 2am finishing an essay for a much longed for degree. It won’t hear the laughter of hours spent with friends putting the world to rights. No the chipped tea cup is the one full of the character of life.

What seems to be most difficult is when others don’t see the value of that chipped tea cup, they don’t know the story of how it came to be chipped or that it was always chipped but you choose it anyway. That it’s not just chipped but broken and glued back together again. I have recently discovered the value of friends who love you… or the cup, chips, breaks, glue and all. Quite often its those people who hold the cup together while waiting for the glue to set that make the world a much better place. Sometimes breaks will come apart again and will need a bit of reinforcing and a bit of tlc. Over the past few weeks this wee cup has developed not so much a chip (iv got plenty of those) but I guess a scratch in the paint work. This past year I’ve said to my close friends how I’m finally happy in my own skin, (yup that phrase) and I don’t feel the need to people please and I’m just happy with who I am. So over Christmas when I took a reaction (which has been developing over a few months) to my medication in the form of a massive rash right across my face, it was a little bit of a test to see if I truly believed that myself. I will not lie, I wanted to stay in doors and I did for a bit, but the reality comes when you have commitments and things you feel strongly about – are they superficial or do you mean them with everything you are and not just want you want others to see. I sucked it up and realised the people who cant see past what’s on the outside aren’t the people you want walking your journey with you. The people who see that your physically and emotionally hurting over a superficial thing like a skin reaction and take it seriously and are kind and pray with you are the people who will hold you together when the big breaks come along.

No matter how gentle I am with a chipped cup, no matter what I filled it with or if I treated it so gently it never got to fulfil its intended use, it would still be a chipped cup, it was always meant to be a chipped cup and it was build strong enough to maintain that chip, its part of it, it gives it a story and a history, it makes it quirky and fun but it shows that it had a use and it has fulfilled it.

I am happy to be a chipped cup.

It’s not much of a life when you’re just a pretty face,
Just to be whoever you are is no disgrace,
Don’t be scared if you don’t fit in…
Look who’s in the reject bin!
It’s the Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),
Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),
Dolls like you and me,
Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),
Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!)
Made imperfectly!
So if you got a bump on your nose or a lump on your toes, do not despair,
Be like the Raggy Dolls, and say I just don’t care,
‘Cause Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),
Raggy Dolls (Raggy Dolls!),
Are happy just to be,
Raggy Dolls, Raggy Dolls,
Dolls like you and me!