Tasha Logic.You'll get used to it.
I believe it is my quirky logic that makes me so darn lovable, but I'll let you decide.
Being a stay at home mom, there are times, no matter the size of the house, where it feels like the walls are closing in on me. I didn't discover this phobia about myself until I became a mommy. So, in an effort to battle against claustrophobia and (ahem) the bulge, I decided today Kaden, Myla, and I would WALK 1.5 miles to pick up Landon from school. At the time it didn't sound too far, and I'd done it on my bike at least 8.5 times. In theory it was a great idea.
However, in my haste to collect the kids and deposit them semi-properly in our double stroller, I forgot I didn't put on socks before I put on my shoes. I was about to the half way point of our journey when both of my pinky toes started to feel sore. There wasn't enough time to go back and get the car at this point as I was already running late. So, on I went. The further I got, the more hobble my gait acquired. I am sure our arrival scene was probably something straight out of a parenting comedy.
I collected Landon, placed him haphazardly on the stroller handle bars and together we began our journey back home. I walked as far as I could, (which wasn't far at all) before I took off my shoes. I was the proud owner of two new blisters, one for each foot.
I took a look at the sidewalk ahead of me. Luckily, Maricopa keeps their sidewalks fairly maintained and clean, and I couldn't see so much as a rock in our path. At this point two little Tasha's appeared, one on each shoulder. Their conversation went something like this:
Left Shoulder: "Look, the path is clear almost as far as you can see, why not just leave your shoes off?"
Right Shoulder: "But that's gross."
Left Shoulder: "Nuh-uh! How is that gross?"
Right Shoulder: "You don't just walk bare foot in public! What would people think?! Besides, you don't know what is on the side walk You could step in microscopic dog poop!"
Left Shoulder: "But it would hurt so much less to ditch these shoes! And besides, it'll give drivers by something they haven't seen before, a mother walking her kids barefoot. I can always wash my feet."
Right Shoulder: "No contest."
Left Shoulder: "I thought so."
And so, my left side won, and I'm glad it did. Walking barefoot was somehow freeing, reminiscent of being a kid again. The kids thought it was hilarious, especially when we had to sprint across the streets, and I got more than one weird look from passerby's, but I didn't care because I was no longer in pain.
It got me thinking. How many times do we feel obligated to do things a certain way, just because it is mainstream, only it makes us miserable? It's true there are certain things that are inevitable in life, i.e.; jobs, bills, school, dentists, but how much pain do we put in our own way?
I encourage you to take off your shoes, let yourself go, and forget about mainstream. In the end, who's going to remember that you played by all the rules anyway? That's my part of my nugget of wisdom for the day...the other part is, "Don't Walk Around the Duck Pond Barefoot with Your Head in the Clouds." ...another lesson I learned today, though I will save that story for another time.
