Today I have on my Twisted X waterproof boots. It's rained off and on for the last three days. Not once, in that time, have my feet been wet or cold.
It hasn't always been like that.
As time goes by, memories from growing up are stirred by everyday things.
When we were little, we played outside. A lot.
We had distractions to keep us inside. A TV, that picked up three channels. It had a nineteen inch screen, and weighed about sixty pounds. There was no remote control. That's what us kids were for. If mom or dad was watching something, or about to, you could forget it. After supper we might all watch something together.
I'm thankful to live in this time. A generation earlier, and I might be a little tougher. But the times were tougher too. A generation later, and I'd have even more distractions to what's important and real.
When we were about ten, Chuck and I would play at his house for awhile, then walk, or ride bikes to our house to play for awhile. Sometimes the going back and forth was the best part.
One day in the winter, we'd played till almost dark, and decided to take a shortcut to his house. Across the field, through the woods, another field, and to the road. We thought that would be faster than walking down the road.
The big field is about forty acres. Mr. Jack Daniel farmed it and by now had already made the fall harvest. We guessed at the best angle, and walked across to the woods. The ground went from mushy to wet, to standing water. We found out that day the swamp, as we called it, stretched far into the woods, and was a lot bigger than what you see from the road.
We splashed through the shallow water. The further into the woods we got, it got ankle deep, and deeper. The daylight was going away fast, so we hurried on. The deep spots surprised us. Our feet and legs got soaking wet. It was a miserable kind of cold.
The soft ground, and deep water made our feet heavy. After a few minutes, we couldn't feel anything. Aching and numbness set in. Now it was dark.
I remember thinking the worst.
We could get lost. Except we knew the road was not far away. And we could lose all our toes and maybe even our feet and legs from frostbite. But that's just a child's imagination. Finally, we could get weak, and fall, and no one will ever find us. But that's drama from watching too many Movies of the Week, and shows about about survival and nature.
We made it out just fine.
No search teams, frostbite, or disapearances.
But the cold and wet was real.
We never took that shortcut again.
Fast forward...
I'm spoiled by modern conveniences.
Here at work, we are in and out of the weather. I've been rained on several times today, and it's not time to go home yet.
Today's rain makes me think about wet, cold feet, and yesterdays.
Best friends, and shortcuts.
Ideas that seemed good at the time.
Days that are not long enough.
Childhoods that are too short.
I'm thankful for all of that.
And warm, waterproof shoes.
.