Sloppy Shoe Laces

I’m cold.

It is day two of fluffy light snow flakes.

I’m following the crowds people that are spilling out of the buildings. Classes finished, and we are all briskly walking towards the next. As I joined the crowds, I noticed a flip-flop-slapping sound of untied shoe laces.

My shoes are untied.

Instead of pealing away from the herd, I decided to keep walking. I tried to remember all of the reaons why adults scolded us as kids for not tying our shoes. I concluded, it must be the increasing chance of tripping over your own feet.

So I decided, I will keep an eye on these shoe laces. I stared at them as I walked in such a way to make a predictable rhythm with a slap against the shoe, and a slushy flop into the murky pavement. I focussed on these shoe laces like I was waiting for something bad to happen. I began to wonder, what if I did trip on these shoe laces?

Human pile up. That’s what would happen.

I continued like this for a while, until I noticed a snow covered bench and decided to peal myself from the stampede of students, and fix the soggy shoe laces into a bow….

…and then wondered why I didn’t do that 8 minutes earlier?

How many things do we miss when we focus on the sloppy shoe laces? How easy is it, to just follow the crowds of people and just learn how to walk with them so your hinderances are controlled?

Made me wonder what takes up all my time, and energies, and brain capacities, and how better served that time could be if I just stopped and tie those damn shoe laces.

In other words, in our attempts to void from tripping over our own feet, what are we missing out on?