Thursday, September 02, 2010

Walking with Bare Feet

I went to visit a dear old friend of mine today.  (she doesn't mind being called "old").  this friend is someone who speaks to me in ways that no one else can.  she calls to me.  she tells me stories.  she reveals Truth and helps me see more clearly.  she understands the language of my heart; in many ways, she's the author, originator of wordless communication.

i removed my shoes in her presence, as i often do, but today it was very uncomfortable to do so.  our meeting place today was quite rocky - sharp rocks - but i knew i couldn't wear my shoes.

it was in this experience that i saw the beauty of walking bare footed.  the rocks are rough and pointy, to be sure, but what really stuck me in the feet were the countless numbers of tiny snails that cling to the rocks.  i wished for a brief moment that i had some other soft shoes that i could use to walk on the rocks without getting hurt but then i realized that doing that would have killed many many snails because I would have been unable to feel them.

"yes." she whispered.  "exactly."

she gave me another valuable life lesson:

to tread ever so gently, even where it seems harsh and tough because I never know what soft creatures find their homes there.

sure, snails have pointy shells but they are defenseless against large feet in shoes that can crunch them without a second thought.  bare feet, however, know how to look out for the feet and the snails.

thank you dear Ocean for your magnificent beauty and for the way you sit quietly with me, revealing ourselves to me.