SWEET RED SHOES

It has been a couple of months since my last post and my life has changed in huge ways. Most of my life I have said all of the things I "want to do" and living somewhere that I can get out and enjoy this phenomenal planet has always been high on the list. There is just something about way being "out there" makes me feel. It is something I have had trouble putting into words because it is one of those things that you just have to "get".

I grew up as that kid that never really fit in. People liked me and was not bulled or made fun of, but I did not have very many true friends growing up... (you know who you were though if you are reading this :). At a certain age the kid that is "different" or does not fit the mold is more of an outcast. I always felt like that kid. I dressed the way I wanted too... I did the things I wanted to and I gave no apologies for it. I remember wearing fighting the Catholic School to be allowed to wear a neck tie with my white button down shirt... (the boys got to why not me)... I remember wearing bright red shoes to school... I thought they were the coolest things EVER... (that I did get made fun of for :) but I stand by the fact that THEY WERE AWESOME!

Even as a child and young adult I sought the solitude of the outdoors. Even then I knew... the trail, or mountain, or lake, or river does not care what color your shoes are... they do not care if you snort when you laugh... they do not even care if sometimes you accidentally fart when you walk. (don't judge me you all have done it!) Something about being "out there"clears my head and makes me think more clearly.

Today I took a hike with Dannie and for the first mile or so I had everything running through my head... "I need to go to the grocery"... "I need to schedule some ACLS and CPR classes", "I need to figure out how to organize paying my bills when my bills are in 2 different places", "My sock has a wrinkle"... you get the idea. Then at one point... (about 40 minutes in) I realized the only thing in my head was the swoosh swoosh swoosh of my feet in the sandy gravel of the desert and the rhythmic sound of my breathing. Suddenly none of that other stuff was there anymore... it was just me... a sweet little dog... some birds... and a few coyotes. This is what I have been missing. It took me 20 minute to travel to a place that let me reconnect with me... and I did it all in SWEET RED SHOES