These Boots

I pulled my old boots out of the back of my closet the other day.  I've had them since I was in high school.  I literally wore the bottoms off of them.  I've kept them around for 20+ years mainly for sentimental reasons.

I love my boots.  ;)

When I pulled them on and it felt like a hug from an old friend,  :)  so comfortable and wonderfully familiar.  Made me wonder what took me so long to remember they were back there.

I have not worn them since high school, and I have no idea about current cowboy boot style. Frankly I don't care.   I will wear them joyfully and with pride.

I had to have new soles put on them, and getting them back from the cobbler was divine.  It's like I have a brand new pair of boots, but they are already broke in perfectly, and the leather is amazingly soft and comfortable.

I slipped into them and felt, deep inside, the spark of a much younger me stir.  I felt a bit like the young girl I was when I first wore my boots.  I remembered the feelings of youth, and seeing my entire life ahead of me. I recalled feeling rather indestructible.  I remembered hope, anticipation, expectation, exhilaration, and life pulsing through my veins.  Fear was there, but often it was almost fully overshadowed by the vibrancy of youth.

I stood for a moment completely enthralled by the flood of memories from my youth.

But I also stood there fully aware of the twenty plus years I had experienced since then.

I thought about how as life had continued and years had passed I learned that with hope there can be disappointment.  That anticipation and expectation are at times exhausting when you are always looking for the next thing.

I learned that sometimes life just plain sucks.  And some days you just have to wade through it.

Guess it's good I've still got my Shit-Kickers.  Guess it's even better that they no longer have holes in the bottoms.  :)

I've got an old pair of boots with new life in the soles.  It feels like a pretty fitting way to describe where I'm at at this point in my life too.  :)

I'm walking new paths in new directions that I never imagined as a girl so long ago. I'm walking a bit more unsure of my future than I thought I'd be at this age, but I'll keep walking.  I've got amazing friends walking along with me.  I'm learning to enjoy the journey for today and not for where I might eventually end up.  I'm no longer in a hurry to get there, and I'm not even sure that I know where "there" is anymore.  

Everyday I'm feeling more and more comfortable in my own skin.  And that is a lovely feeling.  I'll wear my old boots whenever I want with whatever I want and I'll smile all the while.  :)  Boots are made for walking, and I'm walking.

Someone should write a song about that. ;)

and just in case you're curious, here's a recent picture of the gray . . .

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