Shoe Personality of the Week: 1/4/2016

Time to get that old thing back, while also making no promises about consistency. Putting no pressure on myself to do anything other than what feels good or necessary. Today, this feels necessary.

In 2010--or was it 11?--I told my then 6th graders that graduate studies were in my future. At the time it was all about deciding whether to get an MFA in Creative Nonfiction or to get an MA in Counseling. 5 years later, it is done. A decision was made & I went with counseling. If you know me personally, that's not news. Well, with completion comes ceremony & I will be donning cap, gown, & hood in 4 more days. 4.

It would seem that graduation would be a beautiful ending but it in only just the beginning. Now comes the real work in creating what the degree set me up to be able to do. Those things won't be outlined fully here, if at all, but the feeling of it all...I can address that.



I feel like this bootie looks. Doesn't it look like it comes with it's own strut, like you can't do anything but step lively in it? It's more than that though. It's honest. The wedge heel helps me see that life is on a slope, always. There will always be highs & lows, but it's how we deal with them that is most important. The wooden wedge is sturdy. What withstands the test of time like real wood? The patent leather adds a classic touch. Prim, proper, & ladylike (whatever that means) but on the literal backbone of an audacious bootie, as well as the strap that holds it down. I pray the upper is wool but in these days of manmade upper there are no guarantees. In my mind, it's wool, & that to means it is protective & warm.

As I take on new responsibilities, create new ventures, & explore collaborations all in the name of providing a much needed service for others, I must keep in mind the elements of this bootie. If I prepare properly, the valleys won't be so damaging & I'll also be better prepared for the celebration of the peaks. I cannot forget how strong I am, but there are few trees that stand alone. In a grove there is other support when needed. I am continuously working on how & when I expend my energy, on whom, & taking care to replenish. & to do it all with warmth in my heart translates as care & passion & compassion & self-care.

While I could've opted for May graduation due to my deep contempt for winter, I wanted this done & out of the way. Just so happens the date falls just after the opening of a new year, adding more meaning new beginnings, & beautifully couched between the actual new year & Ndygo New Year (my birthday). 2016 is bussin' bussin' wide open for me & I am READY to do this work.

Happy New Year &...
Watch Me Move