Someday

Wearing my heavy shoes, I clomp into my day.  I'm having a hard time remembering if this is Wednesday or Thursday morning.  On the drive to work, the song,  Someday played.    This was the first time, I really listened to some of the words.  I walk to meet my student companion.  The words from the song slide around my sleepy head.  I allow myself to feel the weight of my shoes and to let them ground me.  It feels good.

My heavy shoes are brown Doc Marten sandals.  They sat forgotten under a table at a church rummage sale.  Their tag said, $.25.   I never wear them without remembering what they cost me.  Smiling,  I remember my little consumer victory.  Their worn patina only adds to their charm.   Consumerism, capitalism, materialism and a handful of other assorted 'isms have always played for the opposing team.  When life is a game and everything is at stake,  I'll cheer my heart out for the underdogs.  It's my team.

Another set of underdogs shuffles into Developmental Math.    A simple quiz awaits them.   Their bodies announce their reluctance to really give themselves to the task at hand.  They comply begrudgingly.  I take this time for my private Just 10.  I think about my heavy shoes grounding me this morning.  Suddenly, the word, "electricity" flashes across my mind.  Neon letters pop, crackling against the darkness.  Grounded electricity is a good thing.  Not grounded, a danger.  My electric spark needs grounding, this morning, most mornings.


My thoughts drift to the larger picture.  Hovering somewhere in the stratosphere, I take a mental picture of the tiny speck below that is me.  In a heartbeat, I tumble back to earth.  My thoughts are consumed with what ties me to this earth, the good things that ground me.  Things like the people I love, the friends that make me laugh, a fuzzy robe and slippers on a cold morning, the smell of freshly baked bread.

My heavy shoes did their job.  They made me aware of my connection to the earth.  Their weight a solid reminder.   My electric moment in the stratosphere fed my love of the creative sparks that occasionally arc across the trails of my thoughts.  Such thoughts gave birth to the Just 10 project.   It keeps me anchored in much that same way as my shoes.  When I drift off, Just 10 brings me back.   When I "live my life out loud" writing on the Just 10 blog, I'm constantly reminded of my priorities, the connections to the people I love, to the friends I care about, to a simple life that can come alive with meaning.  Someday, I may not need the reminder.  Giving myself and my time to the people that matter most may come effortlessly.  Until then, I'm grateful for the reminders, for the chance to start over again every time I drift off course.  May be, someday.