Agree to Disagree
My friend Caroline was an ultra–conservative Republican. I, on the other hand, am a left leaning Democrat. A devout attendee at the Crossroads Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, Caroline’s strict adherence to her Protestant faith was paramount. Even Harry Potter was under suspicion for his inclination toward wizardry. (I saw every movie!)
On the face of it, our friendship was doomed. She, speaking with conservative passion flying from her lips; I, retorting back with liberal ire. But whenever the temperature rose too high, Caroline would stop and say, “Let’s agree to disagree.”
Renting space in the same pottery studio, Caroline and I became fast blooming friends. I needed a kiln; she lent me hers. She ran out of clay; I gave her mine. Sharing a similar passion for art, our connection was seamless, growing through common purpose and joy.
Looking to nature for creative ideas, we gathered mushrooms of varying shapes. Wildflowers gentle in beauty and grace lured us with enchanting color and sway. An oversized acorn was a natural treasure, and a piece of broken wood the perfect tool for trimming a bowl.
Even though we whirled in different orbits, we didn’t collide. We accepted our divergent beliefs and moved on. We’d always ooh and ah over every piece that emerged from her kiln; she happily accepted my clay. We wrangled for years over the Bush v. Gore election, but we never took for granted all the many things we shared in common.
Alice Barbera
