Baby Steps

Today is day 7,670 for these dirty feet of mine, but it is the first you are hearing of them and their journeys. Why is that? Maybe you have not been listening, maybe you did not know of them, or maybe you simply have not been introduced to them. Well allow me to do the honors...

These are my feet, my very foundation. The ball, the heel, and ten sometimes-painted toes. They perform the obvious, common day activities such as walking, pushing pedals, climbing, and running, but they are SO much more than that. They are the driving force behind where I go, essentially the reason I get there. They walk through things that they are most proud of and take journeys whether I want too or not. These feet carry a load of 120 pounds every single day, in contraptions which can sometimes only be described as militant punishment.These feet carry me through lifes daily trials and experiences. They have known love and heartache. My two foundational platforms are highly arched and pointy, as you may find a dancers feet. They have never been broken, althought after the shoes they stride in sometimes, they may tell you otherwise if asked. They deserve some respect!

Back in the day, they came to know freedom with summers spent in plastic, sparkly 90's sandals and light-up sneakers with the latest pop culture phenomenon character on them. They lifted my sister high into the sky during childhood games of "airplane" and they have played in cleats on a soccer field for 13 years. They have been crammed into homecoming heels and high school drama production platforms. They have walked barefoot in oil-ridden parking lots and stomped on tree bark high up in the trees. These gracious givers have pounded cement flooring in a restaurant job and chased toddlers while being a nanny. They have been loved and nurtured with great care by my very best love and have been stubbed on some incredibly hard surfaces. Oh the tests I have put them through.

My most bottom features have been  to some very interesting places and have landed in substances of every sort. Blisters, cuts, and scrapes have become a norm to them. I prefer to have my feet as naked as possible, as often as possible. And I mean barefoot all summer, flip-flops until November 30th and snow boots off as fast as possible in January. Over time, my toesies have fallen in love with grass, crunchy leaves, puddles, slippery pavement, asphalt, oil, mud and ocean grains. Such a beautiful love affair it has been, and it has only just begun.

This is not the beginning of their story, but it is the first time their adventures have been documented. I will share all of their journeys, experiences and mishaps. Here we go...baby steps towards a new and exciting story!