The odd, strange and unusual happens to me all the time. When you factor in my klutziness, well, life becomes a wild string of crazy and hilarious chain of events. Today helps to solidify that fact.
This morning I was a bit preoccupied in my head as I locked the front door and headed towards my car. Since my feet are allergic to grass, I never go barefoot unless I’m inside or on the beach.
The exception to the rule was this morning…I left the house barefooted.
I can’t tell you what I was thinking, but I was rather oblivious to my surroundings which is why I stepped in a pile of dog poop that a lovely neighbor dog deposited in the grass. Gross!
The poop was warm and squishy on my heel. I didn’t want to spread it all over the place, so I hopped to my trunk where I keep a roll of paper towels. Grabbing a wad, I removed most of the stench from my foot. Walking on my tippy toes, I went back inside, put my foot under the running water of the tub faucet and scrubbed my foot.
There wasn’t any reason to be mad. What had happened was over and done, so I dried my foot really good, pulled on a thin nylon sock and put on my sneakers. I usually drive with sneakers on instead of my heels because they are not only more comfortable and easier to drive in, but it also preserves the heels on the dressier shoes.
Okay, I’m ready. Let’s try this again.
Turning to lock the door with the poop-on-my-heel experience behind me, I headed for the car once again. However, I was so caught up with the thoughts in my mind that I stepped in the rest of the same pile of poop.
Obviously, I was going to be late for work because now I needed to get the poop out of the billion crevices in the bottom of my sneakers. It was beginning to feel like an episode from “I Love Lucy,” so I really had to laugh. Once again, I headed back inside to scrub the sole of my shoe.
While sitting on the edge of the tub scrubbing with an old toothbrush, I was careful not to get water in the air holes of the toe of my sneaker. I also didn’t want to get the shoelaces wet. There are so many parts to a sneaker! I thought about the guy who invented the aglet, the little plastic or sometimes metal thing on the end of the shoe lace. I’m sure he didn’t get paid anything near what Michael Jordan makes for his line of shoes even though the aglet can be found on millions and millions of shoes.
Contemplating the morning’s turn of events, I still wasn’t angry. I closely inspected my whole sneaker for any possible missed spots of stench. I examined the aglet which I’m somewhat obsessed with lately. It wraps all the way around the end of my shoe lace, but the very end is open leaving the fabric of the string exposed. Luckily, the whole string was still clean this morning.
Our heart is like the sneaker. So many different emotions all wrapped up in just one heart. We try to keep everything neat and tidy to protect us from pain, but no matter what we do, our hearts are exposed sometimes. We all have a little bit of vulnerability just like the shoe lace does with the open end that the aglet doesn’t cover. Just that small amount of vulnerability in our hearts is enough to cause us pain. That is why we should choose our friends carefully and choose a mate not only with our heart/emotions, but also our head/intellect. If relationships are based on shallow reasoning, emotions will eventually be headed for a whole bunch of pain just like the vulnerability that the aglet has to dirt and moisture seeping into the end of the lace.
I guess the lesson to be learned is…Don’t get poop under your aglet.
Your story made me laugh. That would happen to me, only I would probably get mad.
I'm lucky to have chosen a poop-free mate. OK, that doesn't exactly sound right, but you know what I mean. 🙂
funny and true post I will be sharing with my 9 year old. We have been talking a lo tabout friend choices.. and she loves aglets;;LOL
Now I'm going to tell everyone not to get poop under their aglet. LOL
Where would we be without our neighbors that let their dogs poop in our yards, but would absolutely die if someone did it to them? I gotta tell ya though….just the word AGLET sounds like it should have poop on it. Jus sayin…
Have a great weekend Red
Red, you made me chuckle. Yet for me I see my vulnerability as part of my strength!
Have a good weekend
Paula
Thanks for sharing such a great story! Those kinds of things happen to me every day too! lol I'm doing a LOT better about rolling w/ them and keeping my temper in check but I that wasn't always the case! Life really is less stressful when you just accept, as a general rule, that 'it is what it is' and adding anger to it isn't gonna change it!
LOL! Sounds like some of the days I've had lately.
Your shoes are so white! Are they new or is it all the cleaning?
Hey There, I understand your pain/trauma with the dog poop. My boys have seven dogs, which is about six too many in my opinion. We have neighbors who have a sign at the end of their drive way that says "Welcome to Station Hill" I told my boys I was going to put one at the end of our drive way that said "Welcome to dog poop hill" I'm signing up to follow you. Hope you will visit me at http://www.nanahood.com and follow me back! Teresa
This was even better than the cockroaches!
Good one, Red!
(and are your sneakers really that clean?!)
Yes, I keep my sneakers that white! LOL You all are funny! Think about it…if I don't like the aglet to get yucky, did you really think I would let my sneakers get gross? LOL
OMG, thanks for the laugh. That reminded me of years ago when I was with my family shopping for the perfect Christmas tree. We saw a man trip over a stump. When he came back our way, he tripped over the same stump. Too funny.
Laughter is the best medicine and that made me laugh. Glad you took it all in stride and had such deep reflection as well.
Surprisingly, I knew what an aglet was. I think stepping in the poop twice was directly related to working. So based on that, we all should just quit work, go barefooted, wear comfortable clothes…hey wait, they tried that in the sixty's. LOL. I loved your post today…:)
LOVE IT !! AND I love that you did not get mad (:
LOVE IT!! and I love that you did not get mad (:
I just found this post!! I do not know how I missed it but I laughed my head off. LOl you are so funny! I would of been mad as heck!! Nothing more I hate than to get poop on my shoe!!!!
LOL I know you would have been mad! I was quite proud of myself that I didn’t even feel the least bit angry. Boy, have I come a long way or what?!!!