Mud Good

I was at my local clay supply looking at the bulletin board when I noticed an article done by a team of scientists in the UK. The study confirmed that people who came in contact with earth, those who got dirty on a regular basis, tended to be happier. The article went on to talk about negative ions, bacteria and such, but the main precept was that dirt = happy. The article alone made me feel good, as being a potter you tend find the clay all over you and in this day and age people tend to think that dirty is bad, and you tend to attract looks when you head over to the coffee shop. I, on the other hand have fond memories of dirt and clay an intregal part of my childhood. I lived at the confluence of the Bad and Missouri rivers and worked on farms and ranches for much of my early life, dirt was everywhere and it had an unnatural attraction to kids. The smell of turned earth on a summer night still illustrates my dreams.

I could not find the article but here is supporting data from another aticle, Is dirt the new prozac?