Shoes as a Metaphor for Life

When Bob was an artiste in Southern California he and his artist friends used to joke that if they failed as artist they could always go sell shoes in Oklahoma, har, har, har. And then, guess what, he did sell shoes in OK. Remember those made in Mexico Sanduk (sp) shoes?

Remember when Ian smuggled 18 pair of shoes to Greenleaf for the reunion? I had given a limit on what he could take so he hid the rest. Remember when Ian had many identical pairs of navy blue Keds in different states of wear? Now it is 18 pair of flip flops.

Roger began his work career selling shoes at a couple of different stores in Oklahoma and here I am ending my career selling shoes in Seattle.

Remember Amber's prescription shoes and how thrilled she was when she got her first non-perscription pair of sandals.

There are Italian handmade shoes, wooden clogs, cowboy boots, space boots, and I won't even go to China with the bound feet and shoes. Talk about a metaphor. Broken shoes sometimes feels like a flat tire, it keeps you from going. Did you ever ease into some slippers at the end of a hard day for that ah feeling? That's what I am talking about.

Christmas at our place this year was an affair of shoes. Every since Connor was born I have wanted to get him some Ugg boots but was too cheap to pluck down the $60.00 for infant Uggs. Well he isn't an infant anymore, so he received his Ugg boots, Stephanie her Ugg slippers, Roger's was running shoes, Christian some Merrells from their barefoot collection, Bo a pair of charming black pumps and Ian some Steve Madden dress shoes and a pair of trendy Clarks desert boots. And I mean trendy, I can't tell you how many pair of these I sold over the Christmas season.

Are you barefoot or shod? Dancing shoes, Cinderella's slipper, The Red Shoes, Kinky Boots, barefoot, stilettos, running shoes -- all tell a story. Bad shoes can ruin the best outfit and good shoes can make a bad outfit look good. Success starts at your feet.

I heard about a movie made on the streets of a Venezuelan barrio made by a slum kid with a super cheap camera, all gangster and guns, and it became something of an Internet hit. So badly made and so badly shot and so badly acted that the government thought it was recording real events instead of imagined. This information made me realize my world is too small.

So I was going to have lunch with a friend and was trying to notice new things. I saw the Verve Ballroom -- who knew. And the LGL Hydroponic store. The what? Waiting for my friend I pondered the different ways to make my world bigger. New places musically, mentally, creatively, new eyes, new roads, I am traveling to sunny Southern in a few weeks, but somehow I don't think this counts.

I am never going to visit a Venezuelan slum so I guess I will have to find a different medium to enlarge my world --  and the shoes to go with.

Whether for style, health, comfort, or travel make sure you have the right shoes.

ps My Connor story: He had uttered the dread words, "Granny play with me" so we had a toy box that he had received for his b-day and I put my finger on the words and read, "Batman and Batcycle." He put his fingers on the words and pretended to read,"Batcar with wings that flies through the air and crashes penguin...." it was quite a story he read with his little finger. I'm a good granny so I didn't argue and we kept playing. About five or ten minutes later he said, "Granny, I think you are right it does say 'Batman and Batcycle.'" I love that boy.