A footprint in the sand
Also: "Justing" - Maybe, just maybe if I...
A montage of random thoughts
Two days ago I was taking a walk in our backyard when I came across a single footprint in the sandy soil. It looked too perfect to miss: I snapped the following picture —
Footprints make me think of different things.
So, I decided to ride the wave of inspiration flowing from my brother’s footprint for the focus of this week’s post — below are several micro-essays on the theme.
(I’d call them vignettes, but I don’t think they deserve that elegant of a title just yet…)
***
We leave footprints everywhere we go.
The speed at which we move, the texture and softness of the surface we tread upon, what we wear (or don’t) on our feet — all influence the sort of marks we leave behind. Some may be quite obvious; others less so; but the reality remains — footprints left behind us tell that place, tell the people coming after us, tell ourselves when we return, that we’ve been there. We were once present.
Inevitable mementos of our human existence.
What do your footprints look like?
***
When we see a single footprint, we instinctively look for the other one as questions fill our minds — who was this person, where did they come from, where are they going?
Footprints come from somewhere, lead to some other place. Yes, they’re marks that such-and-such was here — but they also signify that they are no longer present.
They came. They went. All that are left are the marks to show they once were.
Where did yours come from, and where are they headed?
***
An actual footprint means someone went barefoot. That makes me happy. :)
***
An imprint in the dirt in the summertime might not mean much.
But when the snow’s so high it reaches your waist, you’d be thankful to walk in the footprints of the people who’ve come before, matching the angle and position of your foot to the hole in the ground their feet have just vacated.
It makes travel less difficult, less confusing, less lonely.
What sort of a path are you clearing for those behind you?
Which guide(s) are you following through the snowstorm life could be at times?
***
Sometimes footprints fill you with hope and excitement; or, with dread and apprehension; or, with nostalgia and wistfulness; or, with a sense of the mundane and unimportant.
It all depends on your perspective.
***
A footprint means someone has stood or walked on their own feet. (Barring macabre methods of creating such marks…)
When you’ve experienced what it’s like to not be able to walk or stand without pain, the ability to leave a footprint like the one above seems wonderful, like a goal to work towards, a dream fulfilled.
If you’ve walked and ran all your life, however, you barely give it a second thought…
***
The picture is of a footprint. Singular.
I didn’t see another one around it, search as I would — perhaps my brother stepped onto a firmer bit of ground with his other foot, and so missed creating a matching one.
But there’s a thought implied through this one footprint.
It’s this: You cannot walk with both feet planted firmly on the ground.
Forward movement (walking/running) requires the repetition of imbalance — right, left, right, left, — not the steady stability of having both feet on the ground.
Want growth? Get used to having one foot on the ground at a time, and don’t resist the seeming lack of control or balance you feel when you do so.
***
That’s all for this week. :)
Odelia
Quote for the week
Something that impacted me in some way the past week, and think is worth sharing.
"If we chose always to be wise we should rarely need to be virtuous. But inclinations which we could easily overcome irresistibly attract us. We give in to slight temptations and minimize the danger. We fall insensibly into dangerous situations, from which we could easily have safeguarded ourselves, but from which we cannot withdraw without heroic efforts which appal us. So finally, as we tumble into the abyss, we ask God why he has made us so feeble. But, in spite of ourselves, He replies through our consciences: 'I have made you too feeble to climb out of the pit, because I made you strong enough not to fall in.'"
– Rousseau, Confessions, Cohen trans.
This week’s word: “Justing”
Since the start of 2024, I’ve begun a project of writing 7 poems, 3 songs, and 1 short story each week, using for my prompt an entry from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows by John Koenig. I share the best from said project in this section.
justing
n. the habit of telling yourself that just one tweak could solve all of your problems—if only you had the right haircut, if only you found the right group of friends, if only you made a little more money, if only he noticed you, if only she loved you back, if only you could find the time, if only you were confident—which leaves you feeling perpetually on the cusp of a better life, hanging around the top of the slide waiting for one little push.
(From just, only, simply, merely + jousting, a sport won by positioning the tip of your lance at just the right spot, at just the right second. Pronounced “juhst-ing.”)
*** It's not wholly true, yet still I believe it - That but for this, my life would change; If only this one detail was different I'd exist on a greater, grander range. Foolish thought? But partly valid For little things tend to compound; When both actions and faith are solid One's life becomes aligned and sound. Elusive dream, that ideal routine Where good habits remain stacked; And no potential lies wasted, unseen; Every last vice and evil is sacked. ***
Find me outdoors
Photos and/or thoughts during my off-grid project.
Garden pictures! The harvest is coming in.
The more colorful side of veggies (below). The pattern the holes in the purple yam flower make me smile. Bugs are artists in their ways, I guess!
Give this a listen
This artist’s journey resonates with me. I also love the way he shot and edited the film.
Bullet notes from my desk
I’ve never felt as excited for a sofa as I did when I first saw the On The Rocks series earlier this week. The design and usability is outstanding.
A project I’ve been working on — “Write to Live” — an online writing resource I would be building and adding to as I learn and develop my skills and experience. Premise: “For writers who want to make a living with writing - but not write for money.” Feedback, ideas, and additional resources to include welcome!
When I was six years old, one of my highest ambitions was to buy myself a whole box of ice cream sandwich popsicles from No Frills. I still remember that longing that stabbed my heart as I stood in the freezer aisle, could still hear my dad say he’s not going to get any, still remember that vow I made to myself to one day buy some for myself — all as vivid as if I’m right there in that moment. I still haven’t fulfilled this promise — should I do so this summer? This week? ;)
Over the past eight nights or so, I’ve slept under a star-studded sky. No shelter, canopy, or ceiling could compare to the grandeur and awe-striking beauty of such skies. Catching glimpses of shooting stars, watching stars peek out one by one as the sky darkens and then slip away as the sun rises the morning after… If you time your sleep right and pick a decent location, the bugs hardly bother you, even if all you have is a blanket (if you don’t have allergies…). As I wrote the thoughts on footprints above, I realized that similar points could be made about each star; the point about one’s absence and the temporariness of one’s existence is especially highlighted by the stars that shoot across the sky from nowhere and vanish into nothing. Everything around you is speaking, if you’d only pause to observe, listen, and sit awhile with the emotions and thoughts they give you.
Snippets of music
No promises of this becoming a new, consistent section of Percolations — but I just thought I’d share a couple simple piano arrangements to two of my favourite songs…
Artistry (Original: Artistry - Jacob Lee)
May I Ask (Original: May I Ask - Luke Chiang)