Barefoot on "Puddle" days

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important"

Arthur Conan Doyle

I'm in Florida working on the tumultuous task of being on vacation. 

During breakfast, I was using the miracle of texting to reassure a friend of mine who is facing a rather important day and I did this unasked for reassurance by repeating some wise words my spiritual father was prone to say:

"God didn't bring you across an ocean merely to allow you to drown in a puddle."

 I then added an additional phrase to this old Irish proverb:

"While it is true the puddle probably won't drown you, it might make a mess of your shiny shoes."

I've been pondering my habit of sweating the little things in life as much as I do the great things. I think it might be because of the risk that my "shiny shoes" might get tarnished. When I thought on this for a longer period today I realized that for me "shiny shoes" are the expectations I've brought along for the ride, and that life's small irritations and unexpected obstacles tend to tarnish, if not utterly spoil. I've been working on a way to avoid caring so deeply about the puddles that straddle my chosen my path, as I walk boldly where no man has gone before. (At least no human has ever been "me" before.)

My conclusion has been that I could choose to walk barefoot. Removing my shiny shoes of expectation and replacing them with the tender skin of the moment. It's true, that walking barefoot creates a risk of sustaining injury to my vulnerable feet, but it also creates a requirement for me to watch where I'm walking.

Walking barefoot through life means the puddles become opportunities to play, and to splash in, rather than delicately trying to find a way around these muddy, wet obstacles. 

I've got a few more days of vacation to successfully complete, and I'm going to take my new found theory of barefoot walking and practice removing all of the shiny expectations I wear, and try walking free of the restricting presence of shiny expectations. 

What shiny shoes did you put on this morning?