I lost my shoes

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

One time, when I was LITTLE, I lost my shoes. Back in the day, you wore your boots to school and carried your shoes in a shoebag. Apparently, backpacks hadn’t been invented. And we didn’t take anything else back and forth to school, just shoes. I was walking home, swinging my shoebag and playing in the snow, and somehow I just wandered away and left my shoes behind. It makes perfect sense to me, because I was a LITTLE kid (2nd grade) and little kids are pretty known for their lack of attention to detail. My brothers VERY much liked to tease me about it. I believe they were dispatched to look for (and found) the shoebag.

Anyway, a couple years ago my new year’s resolution was to only take my shoes off in shoe places. I had started not being a good Minnesotan and taking my shoes off at the door whenever I came in, and then my shoes were everywhere – in front of the couch, next to the bed, by the front door, by the garage door – and there was more “Where are my black shoes?” than I wanted to have. So, resolution made, and I haven’t broken it. Until now.

I got ready for school this morning and headed out to the mudroom for shoes and coat. As I reached for the shoe cupboard doorknob, I thought, “I hope my shoes are here.”

Why? Why would I think that? Part of my brain knew I had screwed up, because when I opened the door, no grey shoes. Gvvvvd. I needed to be leaving to be on time. I did not need lost shoes. I ran up the stairs because I was suddenly sure that I actually took them off in the bedroom and put them in the closet. I opened the closet door and looked. No shoes. I spun away, then turned back to check again, because they had to be there. Keith joined in the hunt. He ran to the basement – was it possible I took them off before hot tubbing? That just sounded crazy, but…Yeah, it was crazy. No basement shoes. No living room shoes. No family room shoes. NO SHOES! Keith picked up a pair of black boots and suggested I wear them instead. I rationally replied, “I’m wearing grey. I’m not wearing black shoes like a psychopath.” (Obviously, I was remaining cool and calm) (Since he didn’t bat an eye at my crazy, my crazy is pretty normal, and he is used to it). I checked the closet again and found an old pair of grey boots to substitute. I slipped them on while Keith was still searching. I told him to stop, but he was still at it. I put on my coat and was out the door. I assume he stopped looking.

Turns out these boots are quite comfortable. Good thing because the other ones are still missing.

More than a couple years ago my new year’s resolution was not to look for lost things. Give it a reasonable search and then stop. It has worked really well at not wasting time searching and being calm about misplacing something. The shoes will turn up – surprise! – or they won’t.

P.S. The POTD is me doing this year’s resolution: making my lunch.