Just Use the Wedgwood China

I'm not a spontaneous person. I'm the sort of person who looked at the cotton to polyester ratio of my T-shirts while planning my trip to Asia. My sister was the one who packed the night before. Despite my meticulous nature, I want to work on being present in the moment. I want to enjoy life and not spend my time crippled by perfectionism and anxiety.

But sometimes, I need reminders to just take action rather than let fear keep me from living my life. Thankfully, I have one within arm's reach at this moment: a Wedgwood china mug.

Every object has a story, and this particular mug is no exception.

It all started back in 2016 when I went to England. My aunt offered me cash or a trip as a high school graduation gift. And with a decent scholarship already squared away, I jumped on the chance to go to England, somewhere I'd wanted to go for years.

At the time of the trip, my grandpa had been dead for a few years, and my grandma had recently received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. My grandma told me about Grandpa's trip to England years earlier. She had wanted him to bring her back some Wedgwood china, an English brand of china that has been around since 1759.

Wedgwood is quite well-known now and a bit pricy. Grandpa brought her back an urn, which suspiciously looked like the sort of urn you would put ashes in after cremation. (Grandpa had a lot of good qualities, but maybe picking out souvenir china pieces wasn't one of them.)

Anyway, we were determined to bring Grandma back a piece of more usable Wedgwood china this time around. Our trip was fun, and my aunt snagged a perfect Wedgwood china mug for Grandma.

When my grandma died, we went through her stuff, and the grandkids collected items that would be helpful in a first home or apartment and a few keepsakes. Personally, I think I scored because I ended up with the potato casserole pan and the classic frying pan my grandma used to make bacon. (Every time I make bacon, I think of her, and I think she'd be happy that her frying pan has seen such good use.)

My aunt wanted me to have the Wedgwood china mug, probably thinking that it would have the most sentimental value for me. And it did. I carefully tucked it into its original packaging and stored it away.

After all, it was too special to use, right? It was high-quality and delicate. What if I broke it? No, it was something that should only be used for special occasions. I certainly couldn't use it for a simple morning cup of coffee or afternoon tea.

I had this mindset for about a year. I still don't remember why I chose to take it out of storage. But one day, I did, and I started using it like I do other mugs. Because of this, I've come to a realization:

If you save something only for special days, you might not use it at all.

Granted, it's good to have things to use on special days, but I think all too often, we let fear keep us from enjoying what we have.

I was afraid of breaking the mug, so I hid it away, where all it was doing was taking up space. Now, it's in my cupboard with all my other mugs, and it has brought me more happiness than I think it ever would have if I had saved it for special occasions only. It could break tomorrow, and I might be sad. But at least I will have broken it using it how it was meant to be used.

As I drink form it this morning, it's a reminder to take risks. Fear paralyzes us and keeps us from using what we have and enjoying our blessings. Taking risks doesn't mean we won't break. In fact, sometimes, we will, and it will hurt. But if we do nothing, we may never experience the rewards of success. And sometimes, those rewards make it worth the risk.

Use the Wedgewood china. Go do something crazy that you've always wanted to do. Pursue your dreams and enjoy what you have. I balance this advice with the caution, "Don't be dumb." But don't let fear keep you where you are. You have to push past the fear to reap the reward.

Thanks for reading. If you liked what you read, the following pieces might also interest you:

• Understanding, Joyful, and Genuine: If you want to read more about my spontaneous and fun sister, read this one.
• A Cup of Tea: This story discusses my trip to England. It's also the first piece I published on Vocal.

• Honest, Brave, and Generous: If you want to read about my grandma and her story, this is the piece to read.
• Grandma's Potato Casserole: If you want to know what made Grandma's potato casserole pan so special to me, check out this piece.

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