#SOLSC15 Day 26

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers and the Slice of Life writing community for providing this opportunity to share our "slices." Thanks to Stacey, Anna, Beth, Tara, Dana and Betsy for creating a place for us to share our work. Check out the other slices and join in the fun!

                                                              
Shoes. 

I just love 'em. 
    Fancy ones, 
                                       plain ones, 
                           tall ones, 
                   cl-icky heeled ones, 
                                                                     flat ones, 
                                                                               accessorized ones, new ones
old ones

I just love shoes. They make the day fun, enjoyable, and sometimes {wink}comfortable.

Last year, our fancy-shmancy librarian at school retired. My two co-workers and I had regularly received "hand-me-down" shoes that were anything but hand me downs. 

More like a hand-me-up-some-trendy-foot fun. 

Lucky for us, we wear her size. 

You have to envision us receiving these deliveries with the excitement that is most closely related to Christmas morning. She had name brands, Italian leather, incredible color options, and variety. Whenever she would share, we'd wear a smile for days. 

This year she emailed me in the Fall to say that retirement felt like a good time to downsize her shoe collection by about half. She was going to send in a special delivery for my two co-workers and I. She had two bags separated for each of us. She had labeled, organized, and thoughtfully sorted. She knew both of us and our style so she carefully re-homed them where she felt most appropriate. It was really fun to see what she carefully chose for Karen and what she had selected for me. How neat to see what someone would choose for based on their perspective of you. 

As I choose my shoes each day for school, I can't help but think of her generosity. I love that we get to carry a little piece of her each time we clunk up and down the hallways at school reminiscent of the days when we were small and wearing our mother's heels (only this time they fit). 

Yes, we received shoes in the literal sense, but we've truly received so much more than what meets the eye. These are more than just pairs of shoes. Her memories "walk" the halls with us each day even after retirement. 


*One of our reading teachers is currently using "Whisper, Skim, and Scan" as a pre-reading strategy. So I used it to re-read my slice to see what words POP and then I tried them in a poem. It kind of reminds me of "black-out" poetry that a few slicers shared in the beginning of the month. 

Shoes

Sharing and smiling 

The thoughtful sorting 

Carefully re-homed

Carrying little pieces 

Walking the halls

Long after retirement

More than just shoes

 My loot from just one delivery :)