Tattered Laces

The main character from the movie ‘Forrest Gump’ – that of course being Forrest – once said, “Mama always said there’s an awful lot you can tell about a person by their shoes. Where they’re going, where they've been. I’ve worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard, I could remember my first pair of shoes”.

And whether found within the Winston Groom novel, or the screenplay written by Eric Roth, that phrase alone speaks volumes. Volumes of how something as insignificant like shoes could actually define the places we’ve been and the person each have become.

As for myself however, I take this insight just one step further by looking closer and noticing that it’s the laces of those ‘shoes’ that could deserve some major props as well. You know, some kind of personal acknowledgement of how well they’ve weathered the elements around us - keeping us firmly on the ground until its final thread is broken. The constant tension of holding us in place, day after day, easily compromising it’s material long before the shoe itself has worn out. If they become loosen, we may stumble. If not tied, then they may wind up stepping into something that I’d rather not describe. And so for me, the laces are as equally important, if not more, than the shoes themselves.

Yes, I know… there are many of you who may either wear boots, heels, flats, or even sandals – all of which don’t have the luxury of most involving laces; in fact some of you may not wear any type of shoe at all. As for me though, for the most part, it’s those laced shoes that have taken me on journeys; shared in moments; and have tried to continuingly keep my feet safely on the ground in order to help make me the person that I am today.

And so now I welcome you to ‘Tattered Laces’ – a snippet of cyberspace that, like laces themselves, may at times seem insignificant; but may also take you a few steps away from the path you travel.