Week 8! What!?
It is incredible to think this week completes 2 of 13 topics for my 52 week sojourn, AND it continues to be the richest, most meaningful adventure I have experienced so far in my life. Not only do I get to observe and evaluate living to my fullest potential, I also get to live it!
It. Is. Changing. Me.
This week is all about Being Positive with THEM. I usually have a few thoughts about how I think the week will go, but this morning it is really hard to concentrate with a moderately large spider hanging over the computer desk, looking like he is on a search of his own, for a nice warm place to hide during winter months. I can foresee 3 different scenarios determining the ultimate fate of my new acquaintance. Since one daughter is deathly afraid of spiders, I could leave the little fellow alone, let him crawl into some nearby nook, then let him surprise her when he decides to pop out while she is doing her homework…..OR, I could keep him as a family pet, replacing the tortoise that was recently re-located to a family that actually thought he was an endearing, amazing pet, and maybe wrapping the 8 legged black dude up under the tree for a happy Christmas morning gift…..OR, I could send him on a sojourn of his own, by either facing an outdoor Canadian winter without his boots on, or swimming happily down the drain…..whatever I decide, it must be now, for although I am not afraid of this hideous specie, I cannot have him waiting around to eerily descend upon me while I write….no, N0h0h0…..stay tuned……
…..Hmmm, what to do…..
Animal lovers, rejoice! Spider and I had a chat, not so much in words, but in the exchange of knowing glances, and he readily agreed that if I did not squish him, he would look like he was skirting away terrified by me into the snow, even though he had every intention of crawling right back up our cozy house, will try to find a way in, but will not hang out near the ‘writing corner’ again.
Mother, Blogger, Spider-Whisperer, I do it all.
But I digress….This week I want to find out who uses a shoe bag. I thought I might be in danger of alienating the male readers who potentially have no clue what a shoe bag could be, but my earlier Google search revealed, men have far more options than ladies, for shoe carrying products. This is the one I have….
It is my weekly icon of mum’s items, and it is well-timed, due to the snow and cold conditions this week has brought, with a sudden winter reality. I have had this shoe bag in every front closet, of every house I have lived in during the past 24 years, and have used it twice. Once, at a Christmas party 6 years ago, where the snow was coming down in buckets and boots were a MUST. And again yesterday, to have my shoes and icon close by as I traipsed off to work in snowboots. Since this shoe bag is completely unutilized, why do I keep it, without the obvious answer connected to my hoarding tendencies?
It looks nice.
It is well made.
It has a rich texture when I touch it.
It smells like a keeper.
I have many memories of mum carrying it.
Aand the day may come, when I carry a nice pair of shoes to work or a party again.
On days when the wind howls, the snow blows, you have a 30 minute commute to work, and your van engine light has been on for the last 2 weeks, it is a super good idea to wear your full-out winter gear. So I did yesterday and noticed that a few people looked oddly at my shoe bag, only one brave enough to ask what it might be. I think a lot of the ladies I knew growing up, had bags to put their shoes into, like we have hooks to hang our purses on now. It was a thing. A good thing. Toes stayed warm, balance was maintained while walking, and your shoes were protected from other objects or substances that might otherwise harm their pristine surfaces if dumped into a different bag of items also being carted to your final destination. Mum had premium taste in shoes and paid a hearty sum for pairs she decided would join her collection, so protecting them was a top priority for her, making the shoe bag not just usable during winter, but also year round.
Here is the shoe bag I wish I had…okay, maybe the matching shoes as well, but I think I would use this one more…possibly.
So what, AJ? What does any of this, have to do with Being Positive with the rest of the world, reaching beyond the borders of family and close friends, into communities and potentially the globe? What will I be attempting to practice this week other than spider witness protection planning and how to carry my shoes from point A to B?
Leaving great shoe prints.
Have you ever looked at footprints in the snow, left behind by an unknown someone, and imagined who they were, what they looked like and what kind of shoe they might have been wearing? Maybe you have thought about whether or not the prints were male or female, adult or child, practical or unpractical for the weather conditions, or wondered about the pace and gait of the person leaving the tracks.
If I am to do this week right, I feel there should be no mistaking to anyone I encounter, whether stranger or friend, that my life is on a positive pace, and I have an optimistic gait. If I were a direction, it would be UP, if I were a color, it would be brilliant YELLOW, if I were an instrument, it would be a sweet BELL ringing out affirmative notes to all who pass by, if I were a word, it would be YES.
If I can effectively focus on who I am each day, what imprint of myself I leave behind for others to see, no matter how small or big the interaction is, I think I will have done something significant toward changing the world.
Let’s find out!
AJ
