Gratitude Practice 2020 Day 6: Warm Boots for Cold Toes
Lots of on again off again soggy weather today in Salt Lake City. Snow this morning. Melty snow, icy roads and drippy puddles all afternoon. Low temps and gusty wind urged me to wrap up in my sweater, crank my office space heater and zip my coat all the way up. And tonight, I've made a literal nest on my couch surrounded in multiple blankets and cozy quilts just trying to get warm. On days like this, and especially today, I am grateful for my trusty warm and ever faithful pair of Columbia boots all they represent.
Growing up, money was pretty tight and every dollar had to stretch. I'm not sure if it was our family's ongoing financial challenges or the natural defiance of childhood but I have lots and lots of memories of very cold toes. I remember having a squishy foam filled pair of chunky clunky moon boots that were purchased at the local K-mart. I begged my mother for these boots and I have no idea if or how we could afforded them. They were bright blue with a big bold rainbow as I was a child of the 80's. They were always challenging to wear, always soggy, often stinky and rarely warm. Once in middle school and well into high school our scarce resources and my teenage brain pushed me to choose fashion over function when spending my limited dollars and as a result I chose cold toes for years. It wasn't until my mid-twenties, when I was fully independent, making more grown-up money and decisions, and learning from friends and roommates the value of saving money for more thoughtful purchase, that I picked up my first pair of decent winter footwear. Warm toes in the winter? What is this alchemy? Eventually, I settled on a trusty pair of Columbia boots which cost well over one hundred dollars and at the time this purchase seemed like a serious indulgence and even a tiny bit extravagant as it's always challenging to shake my inner poor kid. These silly boots have kept my silly toes warm now for well over 15 years and counting and every snowy cold winter day they remind me of so much more.
Today, as the weather was way more brisk and soggy than I ever prefer, I watched ten or so very cold people who are clearly experiencing homelessness, walk up and down the street in front of our downtown office. This heart-wrenching reality is the new normal for far too many in our community. Each one, somebody's mother or sister or auntie or childhood playmate or high school bestie. Each one pulling a carts or pushing a jimmy-rigged wagon stacked high with snow covered blankets. One by one and hour by hour they slowly shuffled down the street moving from one homeless camp to the next and hopefully to a warm shelter or home at some point before the sun sets. All day long I kept thinking about how long it must take for any of them to actually get warm...and their stories...and needs..and their hunger...and their families...a d their futures...and what about their toes?
So, today, it's my warm office. My functional car. My dry blankets. My access to education and to health care. My support system. My mental health, even when wobbly. My job. My family. My hard earned life lessons. My slow growing understanding and perspective of the dynamic human experience and today...I'm most grateful for my trusty boots and my ten warm toes.