I am a person who doesn’t like change. And, we’re not talking nickels and dimes here. For as far back as I can remember, when faced with the purchase of new clothing, I have always wanted the same thing I just had. If I found a dress shirt I really liked, I would buy five. Four were stored as replacements. Ask me how many white shirts I owned at one time. This is all coming from a person who is just about to make perhaps the most gigantic change a person could ever make. We are going from living in a house to living on a boat. All my homely comforts are going away. We are going from land to sea. We are going to travel to strange unfamiliar places. We will never eat at the same restaurant twice. There will be nothing but change very soon. Does this worry me? Perhaps, a little bit. I know, right! What am I thinking? I must be mad (on that topic, please keep your opinions to yourself).
Today, I had to face another big change in my life. My slippers wore out. This, for me, is a tragedy beyond epic proportions. I have had the same slippers ~ sort of ~ for over 20 years. I say sort of because before these slippers, I owned an identical pair. I loved them. After all, a slipper is the ultimate shoe. It is the shoe worn first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. And on a really good day, they’re worn all of the hours in between. A good pair of slippers form to one’s feet and become extensions of our own bodies. They can become so comfortable; we forget we are wearing them. That has happened. I had an early flight and was going through airport security. I went to remove my shoes. Guess what?
About ten years ago, I was sad because my slippers were wearing out. We were on vacation in Destin, Florida. We passed a Johnson & Murphy outlet store. Like a pouting young child, I reluctantly entered knowing they were about to tell me they didn’t make that particular style anymore. But, hallelujah! Yes, they were discontinued but this store had one pair left. They were the same color and the right size. It was a very good day.
I’m going to trade in my slippers for a pair for flip-flops. We’ll see how it goes. One day at a time.
R.I.P.
