Kickin' Ass

When someone has experienced a close call in their life they often see themselves as invincible.  Danny Ripka got up at 4am to drive me to the Ft. Meyers airport for my early flight back to The Promised Land. More good talk on the drive. When you have worked the streets, experienced stuff that most would not want to experience in their lives you develop a mental toughness.  Danny is built more like a thrower than a runner- short and stocky. A runner is supposed to be tall and lean. Danny kicked their asses in runs. Why????? Is it small man complex? No, it is mental toughness. There is a certain amount of mental toughness required to make pots for a living. No matter how big the challenge is or how many tell you it is impossible to make a living at pottery you find a way.  You work harder than anyone else. Danny told me when he was about to run a marathon he had already spent a month running 28 miles a day. When he stood at the starting line he said to himself  I am going to kick your asses you SOB’s because I have trained harder than you!!! A true entrepreneur doesn’t believe they can fail either.  They have another gear to shift into when everyone else has gone to the limits. It’s about mental toughness.  I told Danny that pottery is a marathon not a 100 yard dash.  You got a lot of training to put in before you can kick my ass Danny Boy! I’ll be waiting for you at the finish line. Plans are underway at Annabelle’s studio for me to lead a longer race next winter. Get your training in  because I’ll be kickin’ ass and takin’ names.