Skip to main content

Special Shoes

Podcast - Special Shoes . . .

Look down at your feet, right now. What do you see? Are you wearing shoes? You might be wearing slippers, flip flops, running shoes, supple leather dress shoes, or your most comfortable everyday shoes? I’m looking at a pair of brown, soft suede leather, around-town walking shoes. My go-to, most comfortable shoes.

As I was putting on my old faithful, everyday shoes to run errands a thought flashed into my mind. “When your shoes wear out you’re simply back on your feet” - right where it all started.

It’s said, “A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step.” That quote is attributed to Lao-tzu, the ancient Chinese philosopher who wrote the Tao Te Ching, born 604 B.C. Imagine how worn his sandals must have been?

But what about today? Your personal journey begins with a single step every day. Just how many pairs of shoes are in your closet, or under the bed? More than you think, I’m sure of it. I see you running off to count them, haha. Where will they take you today? And just what purpose do they serve? Let’s take a look.

It’s early morning, you leap out of bed, slap your hands together and say, “It’s a great day to get up and get after it.” - right? Then while fumbling in the dark for your slippers you step on a stray cat toy - ouch!

Or maybe you’re not quite so enthusiastic, one of those folks who practically fall out of bed. A padder - you like the sound of padding around the house like an ole’ bear with your paws. Either way, it’s comforting. Where do those shoes take you? To the coffee pot for an eye-opener? Maybe to the refrigerator for some juice.

Mine lead me to my computer desk, to write. I choose to start my day like you, coffee, juice, and a positive Thought for the Day.

After about an hour you start to get restless. Do you dash off to work or go for a morning walk? I’m up early - let's go for a walk, the cool fresh air will do me good.

This requires your special walking shoes. You slip them on and begin to stretch as you secure the laces. Once you’re out the door now it’s your quiet time, time to think and plan your day. How many plans have you made as you pump along with the rhythm of your heartbeat, a clear mind, and a strong body? Those shoes are priceless.

After breakfast, you hit the showers. Then carefully select your work shoes for that day. What’s today? Ah, yes, I’m presenting a seminar. So, we select our finest most supple black leather shoes with their high polish luster.

What’s this? I see the soles are a little worn. Indeed, these shoes have seen many cities around the world. They remind me of all the classes taught, the people I’ve met, and all the ideas shared, they are dependable. Mental note, “Be sure to drop them off at the local cobbler for new heels.”

It’s early evening, it sure would be nice to get a bicycle ride in. Oh yes, there are special shoes for that too. They have stiff soles and cleats. Hop on the bicycle, clip yourself in, and you’re gliding down the road. With a smooth cadence, the cleats allow you to you push with the right leg - pull with the left. Feel the wind in your face, and the exhilaration of speed. These are funny looking shoes, but they perform their job well.

How about your special vacation shoes? I feel “bully” when I strap on my hiking boots and challenge the high Sierra Mountains. The views exhilarating, clear blue sky outlined with the craggy mountain peaks. With every footfall puffs of dust rise from your boots, the peaceful sound of the buffeting winds murmur through the trees, you pause for a deep breath, the crisp aroma of the pines. Once again nature is your companion. Don’t you just love those shoes?

Whew, what a journey, back home, to those most comfortable of shoes. Your everyday, go-to shoes.

As you slide them on, remember this, “when your shoes wear out you’re simply back on your feet” - where it all starts - every day.

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Labels:

Comments

Karl said…
I go bare foot constantly. My feet are now like fine Corinthian leather. I allow everyone on my staff to go bare foot if they so choose.
September 24, 2020 at 9:47 AM
Sally Troutman said…
When did you find that you had a fetish towards men's foot wear Patrick Ball?
September 24, 2020 at 5:30 PM
Patrick B. Ball said…
Never thought of it that way Sally. I just remember my Chiropractor (Dr. Burch in Lewiston) telling me the importance of having the correct shoes with the right support for a healthy back.
September 27, 2020 at 5:32 AM
Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

The Gopher Problem and the High Powered Solution

Vacationing in Maine this week, just a short drive down the coast from Freeport, it is hard not to think about the outsized impact one frustrated outdoorsman had on the gear we all use today. Bad equipment can ruin a perfectly good day on the water or the trail, but it takes a special kind of vision to turn cold feet into a century-old empire. This is the story of the company we now know as L.L.Bean, but more importantly, it is a masterclass in integrity, learning from failure, and standing behind your work. In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean faced a persistent problem: returning from expeditions in the Maine woods with cold, wet feet. Instead of complaining, he got creative. He had a local shoemaker stitch waterproof rubber soles onto the flexible leather uppers of a hunting boot. He called it the Maine Hunting Shoe and mailed a flyer promising perfect satisfaction. Then reality arrived. Ninety of his first 100 pairs failed when the rubber separated from the leather. Not an effective product...
Post a Comment
Read more

On Becoming Real

Some things get better with wear: old shoes, old friendships, and old books. Especially old books. A new volume arrives with crisp corners and a spine that hasn’t yet learned to bend. An old one has been somewhere. It has traveled through time in the hands of people who may no longer be around to tell us what they found inside. The copy of The Velveteen Rabbit (first published in 1922) on my desk is one of those books. My friend Don Hanley gave it to me. This late-1950s Doubleday edition features William Nicholson’s original illustrations and cream paper boards softened by age. Worn corners, a split spine, and colored tabs mark passages worth revisiting. Don didn’t hand me a keepsake. He gave me homework. When we talked about the book recently, he pointed me straight to the nursery conversation between a young rabbit and an old Skin Horse. The rabbit had noticed the mechanical toys around him—the ones with internal gears, bright paint, and stick-out handles that seem terribly impressiv...
Post a Comment
Read more

Stamps and Snow

In this episode, Stamps and Snow . . .   You don’t usually walk into the local Post Office expecting a time warp . . . but here we are. All we wanted were stamps for this year's Christmas cards— yes, the old-fashioned paper ones that require licking, sticking, and hoping the Postal Service is feeling ambitious this week. But holiday errands have a talent for slowing you down, almost like the universe whispering, “Relax. You’re not getting out of this line any faster anyway.” So we waited. And while we waited, we talked (Are you surprised?). Because the Post Office is one of the few places where people still look up from their phones long enough to talk . . . Maybe it's because they're holding packages. It’s the modern town square: part civic duty, part free entertainment, part sociology experiment. The discussion began with holiday specials streaming on Netflix, Paramount+, and other services during this time of year. One gentleman who has lived in Vista since 1958 told us,...
3 comments
Read more

A Dog, a Beer . . . and the Ghost of 1912

Whenever you step into an American cathedral of our National Pastime built before modern ergonomics, municipal zoning, or crowd-flow dynamics, an unspoken understanding forms, creating a welcoming, timeless atmosphere. You trade legroom, sensible corridors, and personal space for the privilege of communing with ghosts. Last week, Lori and I made our pilgrimage to Fenway Park to watch our Chicago Cubs take on the Boston Red Sox (a taut 0–2 contest that felt spiritually tied to their 1918 World Series meeting). Staying just across the Charles River at the Courtyard Marriott in Cambridge gave us one immeasurable tactical advantage: we walked. While the automotive gridlock around Kenmore Square took on the character of the Siege of Yorktown—horns echoing across the asphalt like musket fire—we simply strolled across the Boston University Bridge, enjoying the river breeze and feeling smugly superior to everyone trapped behind a steering wheel. Fenway, built in the spring of 1912, holds rough...
Post a Comment
Read more