Some of you will roll your eyes at my thought processes. Some may think I'm a bit unique (I dislike the word weird as it was applied to me often growing up so I went with "unique" at about age 13). But, I hope, for some this will inspire you to "Stop waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Lets go back in time for an explanation of that phrase. Tenement buildings in New York CIty were built with the bedrooms of apartments stacked above each other. When your upstairs neighbor went to bed you would hear one shoe drop to the floor then wait to hear the "other shoe to drop." I took this to mean waiting for something unpleasant to happen.
Now flash forward from the late 1800's-early 1900s to about 12-13 years ago. I started noticing random, single shoes alongside the roads I traveled. Not just in neighborhoods where someone may have set a nice pair of shoes on top of their car as they were rushing to work and forgot to put them in the car. Not just on entry ramps onto highways where, if they had balanced long enough, they might still be on that roof. I am talking MILES from nowhere! I'm talking running and hiking trails. I'm talking tennis shoes, sandals, work boots and baby shoes. How about a motorcycle racing boot? A high-top athletic shoe with 3 red solo cups stuffed in it found along a country highway in Maine. A purple fuzzy house slipper in Vermont. I am talking expensive, designer high heels and non-skid-rubber-soled-restaurant-worker-type shoes. So, I found myself looking for them. Then I found myself pulling over (when it was safe.....ish) to pick them up. I took them home, made out a tag to make note of when and where the shoe was found. Then I told friends and family and THEY started picking them up for me. Oh, the stories I could tell....but this blog would be miles long if I did that.
I started imagining what I would do with all of these shoes. At one point I planned to hang them from the ceiling of my massage room and tell my clients to "stop waiting." To stop anticipating what the next bad thing was going to be in their lives. A good sentiment but maybe not the most relaxing element to have in a massage room....LOL. Some of these shoes are in pretty rough shape as it was important to keep them in their "found in" condition to further the concept of waiting for a "bad" thing. So, I imagined a large wall piece. A board with all of this footwear attached to it. HEY.....maybe an art gallery would catch wind of it and buy it.....a museum would recognize my brilliant and profound statement piece and beg to display it. I would positively impact thousands of lives! Eh, right....nope.....keep it simple Marie!
Introducing my version of "art." I finally breathed life into my concept and, with the help of my David, it is mounted in my barn. It was presented to my guests for Brunch in the Barn earlier this month. That, by the way, is another blog in the works. It found its perfect home in a place I am working towards growing into somewhere people come to relax, to smile, to let go, to be taken care of, to learn, to dream, to grieve, to nourish and nurture themselves. I want this place to be thought provoking and educational. To gently push people to push the limits they have set on themselves and grow into the best version they can be.....at that time. I want you to "stop waiting for the other shoe to drop" and start envisioning something wholesome and kind.
The art is positioned at the far end of my barn. It is what you'll see if you look up when you come in. It is also positioned where I can study it while I milk my goats. It is a not-so-subtle reminder to myself that I need to do the same thing. It isn't an easy task. But is one that I can work on to become an even better version of myself.
Here is what I want you to take away from this. I did not manifest those shoes that I found. They did not magically appear along my path. They were already there. But, I had trained my brain to constantly be on the lookout for them. Subconsciously, my eyes constantly scan the roadside for them. Other people would also see them if they were looking for them. Actually, now that you have read this you will see the more often. So, if we set our thoughts to look for something, over time, we will see it more often. It is not that it occurs more often but we will take note of it and it will SEEM like it happens more frequently. Just as we might listen for the negative comment or the not-so-subtle complaint because "That's what ALWAYS happens!" you can train yourself to see the good, the healthy, the happy. Which is better? Which could make a positive impact on yourself and others around you? It isn't that negative things will miraculously go away, but you will be less overwhelmed and afraid. The word disease, taken apart, is DIS- EASE. Unease! Stress! Those go from a mental state to a physical state and, if not addressed, may/will create a physical response which may/will create a disease in your physical being. Look it up.....I'm not making this up! It is called the "Mind-Body Connection."
So, dear followers, please stop waiting for the other shoe to fall! Get on with the happy in your life! Because I said so. :)
A few fun facts about what I learned with my "shoe collection."
More men loose shoes and work boots than women
I smirk when I think about the little kids strapped into the back seat that manage to pull a shoe off and pitch it out the window. "Honey, where did your other shoe go?"
Women are more likely to leave a shoe behind in a parking lot
There are 104 "shoes" in my artwork and I have located 4 more that I had stored. They will make their way up onto the wall....eventually
My special thanks goes to my family and friends that made hunting shoes a community activity! I THINK these covered at least 12 states! I appreciate you picking them up and bringing them to me. I thank you for the messages "Hey, Marie, there's a shoe on the road at_________"
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