When I get home from work I often change and take Thistle for a walk. We either go along the street where we live (on leash) or head for the national forest for a hike (off leash). I have footwear for each outing. Tennis shoes for the street and hiking boots for the woods.
One day recently I came home, changed my clothes, put Thistle in the car and headed for the woods. This is prime thinking time for me. I can puzzle out story lines, brainstorm titles, pray or just daydream. Good stuff. I was well into the hike, climbing up a bit of a hill when it occurred to me that the hike was easier than usual.
What in the world? It’s not like I got fitter in my sleep. Then I realized–my feet were light. I was wearing my tennis shoes. I had mindlessly changed and put on the wrong shoes. And they weigh about a third of what my boots do. I was just flying up that hill, feet light as feathers.
Which made me think. What do I–often without thinking–weigh myself down with each day? Guilt? Shame? Pain that’s long gone and over with? I didn’t even realize how heavy my boots were until I went to the woods without them.
And you know the funny thing? I felt almost naked. I wanted to rush home and change my shoes. It was hard to embrace my light feet (not waterproof, but I worked around that).
And so it is with the junk we carry around. Even if I do manage to put down the worry and the fear, I feel almost bereft without it. I’m used to the weight. Puts me in mind to do a little soul searching to find some things I can lay down.
How about you? What are you used to carrying around that you could do without?