H is How to Walk with Rocks in your Shoe

I’d rather snuggle by the fireplace with a good read, but on this winter afternoon, the sun has peeped out from the heavy cloud cover and calls me out of the warmth into a chilly afternoon.  Walking slowly is not an option if I’m to keep warm, so I pick up speed and and soon near the edge of our neighborhood, which borders the desert.  I consider turning back since the wind has picked up, but instead I venture out into the sagebrush where others have left a well worn path away from houses, yards and barking dogs.

Before long I notice a bothersome stone in my shoe and try to ignore it; taking off my shoe is a problem with no place to sit or gain balance.  So I turn for home with the wind whipping the clouds back over the sun.  I hurry back with the thing in my shoe growing into a boulder wedged under my heel.  When I finally get home and remove my shoe, the offending boulder shrunk to a tiny piece of gravel.  This small speck is the cause of  irritation that made me limp the last few steps to my front door.

I sit in my comfortable chair sipping tea and think about the small stone.  Isn’t that what I do with my little problems that crop up daily.  Small irritations that if not faced can grow into larger problems.  Leaving small annoyances alone can sometimes be a good thing (as we have  heard, don’t sweat the small stuff.) On the other hand something that at first seems only a small thing can grow into something monstrous, which if left on its own can cause one to hobble through life.  You might know someone like that; and if you don’t you might look inside yourself.

I did and found a pile of stones large enough to build a wall; a wall that keeps me from enjoying life fully.  What are the stones, you may ask.  Just small things.  Small fears. Fragments of distrust. Gravel of unforgiveness.  But I find  few lovely stones tossed in that I need to treasure…to help me grow.

“Turn your stumbling blocks into stepping-stones” is an old adage that fits here.  Learn from them.  They will help you maneuver the road ahead.

Judy wrote a poem which prompted this post.  In her blog Lifelessons, she posts about using the stones (metaphors for  words,) to help her grow.

As this was taking shape in my head I also read about what rocks in shoes can represent.  Things that hinder our walk through life. Go for a free preview to http://www.simpletruths.com/inspirational-books/pebble-in-the-shoe.html

And finally I found Emily West singing this song, (compliments of you-tube) that wraps up this little essay.  Enjoy.