If These Shoes Could Talk

One of my favorite scenes in the movie Forrest Gump is at the beginning when Forrest is sitting on a bench waiting for the bus and he tells the woman sitting next to him, "My mama always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they going, where they been. I've worn a lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes."

I love this scene so much because not only does it set in motion an epic motion picture, but it also makes you reflect on your own life and how you have gotten to where you are. While I certainly cannot remember my first pair of shoes, I do remember some of them. In each case, they represent a moment in time in my life that carry significance to me.

I remember my first set of Roos that had velcro instead of laces and zippers on the side. I was so cool because I could store stuff by my feet. I remember sticking some quarters and pennies in that small pocket and then riding my bike to the Ben Franklin Five and Dime store in Ashland, NE to load up on Bazooka gum and candy cigarettes that I would then "fake" smoke with my friends. When I went up to the counter, I would tell the clerk to hold on a minute and then I would make a big production out of getting change from my shoes.

I remember my Payless Shoes Andre Agassi knock offs that had bright pink on them and a modification of the Nike swoosh on them that was so obviously a fake and you could spot it a mile away. I remember that I had these shoes because I was going through a growth spurt at the time and my parents couldn't afford to keep buying me clothes or shoes that I would grow out of in a matter of weeks. I despised these shoes because the soles wore out too quickly and I had to put duct tape in the bottom of them so my socks wouldn't get holes in them. My elementary friends made fun of me for not having the real Nike's and to top it all off, I was also wearing clothes from a second hand store that didn't fit at all. These shoes embarrassed me and made me feel inadequate. Instead of thanking my parents for doing all they could to provide for me, I secretly wondered why they chose careers as teachers that couldn't pay them enough to provide their children with clothes that would last.

I remember my first pair of Doc Martens. It was the height of the Grunge Era in the mid-90s and like most teenagers, I needed to have a pair of these in order to show I was part of the counter-culture. Paired with my flannel shirt, jeans, and a discman that was blaring Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden, these shoes were a staple of my daily wardrobe for a number of years. They were my first pair of shoes that were over $100 dollars and I worked a part time job in a lumberyard to pay for them. These shoes were built to last and I still own them today.

When I first became a Principal, I purchased a pair of cowboy boots (seen above) because I had always wanted a pair. I was living in Central Nebraska so they were appropriate for area, but in vogue enough to be worn when I went down "On the Bricks" to hang out with friends. These boots are with me still today and have seen a great deal. From huge snow storms, the building of a new high school, and doing odd jobs around the house, these boots are symbolic of the workman-like approach that I take towards everything I do in my life. There are no "off days" with my boots and when I wear them, I think about my parents and how they worked so hard to give me the best of everything even though I may have been ungrateful. My boots are a constant reminder that family is everything and I need to work just as hard as they do to ensure that my family is taken care of.

And finally, I remember my Addidas. These are my go-to shoes on a daily basis. They are usually paired with wild socks and they allow me to do my job as a Principal in comfort. I have multiple pairs of these shoes to coordinate with the rest of my attire, but they all serve the same purpose. They are symbolic of the fact that I am always on the run and that there is no time sit idle. These kicks have led me to new opportunities and carried me through the daily struggles of leadership that all Principals encounter. The three Addidas lines are a constant reminder of Faith, Family, and Friends so no matter where I go, all three are with me.

Yes, I did just write an entire blog on shoes, but the lesson is that your shoes do tell a story. YOUR STORY. #OwnYourEpic is about embracing your story and being vulnerable enough to tell it to others. We all have stories to tell and we should not let others be our narrators. Keeping this in mind, we also need to be cognizant of the fact that others have their own personal stories that need to be told. As educators, we have an AWESOME responsibility to cultivate this in our students and empower them to share their developing epics with us. Ultimately, whether we decide to use our voices or not, our shoes can definitely do some of the talking for us.

#Onward