Today I Knew

 

I hadn’t noticed it until today.

The automatic way 

that my inner gears shift. 

In the moment when

I feel hard done by, 

suddenly I am grateful 

for my health, 

a hot cup of tea, 

the shoes on my feet 

my families, scattered as they are.

Gratitude has always there 

but only today I knew 

that it has become a reflex.

“For the things we have to learn before 

we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

~ Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics

*Inspired by Essential Gratitude by Andrea Potos

Re-Ordering.....

When all seems out of order

outside our homes, 

inside our heads,

seeing where our feet are

stills any fear or dread.

Are shoes in need of polish?

Or toenails painted red?

Sniffing still air around me, 

is it time for homemade bread?

Few short steps into the sun, 

see hummingbirds out of their beds ~

Look way up to treetops, ebon crows

squawk, finding mates way overhead.

Painting doomsday pictures for 

the world outside or in our heads,

keeps us stuck in overdrive

spinning tires without a tread.

So, listen to what’s deep inside 

our hearts and not our frightened heads.

Choose gratitude and fortitude,

and leave the rest unsaid.

“With all it’s sham, drudgery and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

~ Max Ehrmann, Desiderata: A Poem for a Way of Life

Presence

Stay where your feet are

she said

beginning to flip through all

the calendar days and weeks to next year

already out of breath, 

no concern for breakfast,

no knowledge

of who or what

holds her fragile future

only knowing

she must Be Prepared

even for amazing joys or crushing blows

and then she remembers

she hasn’t put on her shoes yet.

“Nature never rushes, yet everything gets done.”

~ Donald L. Hicks, Look into the Stillness

Seasonal Changes

Warming up to chill of winter

cosy blankets and sweaters

that bundle against the damp

shifting focus from 

   bare toes to 

       socks and shoes.

“The fires burn and the kettles sing, and earth sinks to rest until next spring.”

~ Clyde Watson

Choosing Courage

Choosing Courage

Artfully creating personal choices at this time of day is impossible! Today’s ‘personal choices’? What the heck do I wear to this interview? I have two choices. My new black dress that I was hoping to save for a romantic date - that may or may not ever materialize. And my old red dress, much more casual. I’m so tired of it I want to throw it out. I suppose I’ve got time to decide. It’s six o’clock in the morning and my interview isn’t until three o’clock this afternoon.

Rachel picked up her coffee cup. The coffee was weak, but at least it was hot. She really needed the job. The pay wasn’t great but it was more than she was making now. Two kids and rent and groceries and utilities and…...Rachel lost count. Balancing it all was too much..too much. Tears tipped over tired eyelids. She laughed bitterly. At least I don’t have my makeup on yet. Pulling her old blue fleece bathrobe tightly, she took her coffee to the window to watch the sunrise. The kids weren’t awake yet. The house was quiet. The squeak of wheels the only sound from the street. Rachel felt a jolt of fear, then a tiny bit of gratitude blossomed. The woman pushing the overloaded shopping cart looked older than her. The dress she wore Rachel couldn’t see, hidden by the old oversize coat she was wearing. Her shoes were boots that had seen better days many years ago. Rachel’s coffee had grown cold as she stared.

Okay. So I need to ‘artfully create a choice’ today - isn’t that how my mom put it? The only grocery cart I’m going to push is when I'm at the grocery store. I’m getting that job today. My red dress will more than ‘just do’. I have scarves and shoes…...shoes…..they need polishing. My gold stud earrings will be perfect. "Kids! It’s time to get up. I’m cooking breakfast. You’ve got 30 minutes to get to the table. The bus is here early this morning so you have to be ready soon. Your dad’s picking you up after school. We’re all going to meet for supper at Grandma’s house. Let’s go!"

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, 

but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who 

does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

~ Nelson Mandela

Author's note: Edited February 05, 2024

Trailing

The first thing I was aware of when I opened my eyes?

Socks

Brown wooly socks balled up and resting on the pillow beside my head.

Wrinkled black jeans tossed over a chair

Bright yellow t-shirt with a black/white yin and yang symbol

Three pair of shoes over turned and scattered ~ sandals and clogs

I’ll deal with them later.

Coffee

After I wash the pot

Find a clean cup among

Crockery with remnants of last nights hamburger and gazpacho

Knives, forks, spoons ~ how many people live here?

Chaos in the morning

Not my friend

Pick up and put away

Socks in the hamper, hang up clothes and make the bed

Dishes in the dishwasher and leave the cupboard clean and dry

Open the curtains to sunshine and leave a tidy trail behind.

“It is a rare life that remains orderly even in private.”

~ Michel de Montaigne

The Business of Shoes

Tap, tap, tap - with energy and concentration
Whir, whir, whir - with focus and an eye for detail
The world of the cobbler - a slowly vanishing world.

The smell of leather soaked walls and floor
Old leather boots, amid sleek high heels, 
Sneakers and walking shoes
lined up, leaning against each other
stained wooden shelves bearing stories of many next steps
shoes waiting to be restitched, glued and fixed, 
shoes tagged at the heel for pickup

Each design and construct inspired by designers from around the world, 
shoes made by hand or marched through assembly lines…….
The shoemaker’s shop, a meeting place for shoes steeped in creativity
A cobbler tap, tap, tapping 
respecting the artistry and work of others 
motivated to run his shop by love of the craft and love of family.

“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions 

as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.”

~ Denis Waitley

Changing Shoes - 1965 - 2015

Shiny black shoes that fit young feet
Changed to shiny white shoes
Stiff leather wraps to my feet
‘Old lady’ shoes only for hospital halls.

Shoes that fit adult feet
Clogs, sneakers or brown lace-up loafers
motivated by comfort more than style
for the nursing walk bedside to bedside.

“With time comes perspective.”

~ Joshua Wisenbaker