Sunday, December 10, 2017

How did it get there?

Weeks can go by and I don’t see, or at least notice them, but last week I paid attention, and I counted seven. Seven shoes by the side of the road. One was a baby’s shoe. Since there is a day care on the first floor of our office building, I can imagine a cranky little one kicking their legs as mommy or daddy hurriedly carried them across the street. But, how one sneaker, boot, stiletto, or loafer ends up along an expressway shoulder is a mystery.

Surely you’ve noticed them? Maybe you’ve got a theory, or an actual story of a sibling tossing a brother’s smelly boat of a shoe out the window of a moving car as a joke. If that’s the case, I’m sure there were consequences. Could it be a superstition of sports teams to drop a shoe from the bus as it sails along taking them to an away game? Are there abandoned clogs in Amsterdam or ferragamos on the Appian Way?

During this season of Hanukkah and Christmas there are plenty of mysteries to consider. Shoes are not one of them, but I doubt baby Jesus had booties and perhaps many of those rededicating the temple had only one pair of sandals. The random lone shoe now makes me think of those who would be grateful for even just the one. So, in my circular way of thinking, I’m sure that there are a pair or two of shoes in my closet that I haven’t worn in ages. I’ll be grateful for them as I sort and then make sure that the Goodwill bag gets delivered before Christmas Eve. You may consider doing the same thing now or the next time you see a shoe along the roadside.

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
-Dr. Seuss


Marilyn

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