But I'm Not Even Wearing Shoes!

I am currently on the road for 15 days. Not all work, of course, but a heck of a big suitcase. Can you imagine how tough it is to decide what shoes to take for 15 days??? But I learned a valuable lesson in Boca Raton.

As I walked on the beach under an almost full moon and watched the light dance across the ocean I thought of happiness. The kind of simple, unadulterated happiness that we don't often recognize or allow ourselves to stop and experience. Now, don't get me wrong, I can lay like broccoli with the best of them but my typical vegetation time happens in front of the TV when I come home exhausted from a trip.

So imagine my delight when, I took off my gold gladiator sandals, slipped my toes in the sand, sat on a beach chair and just looked. Sat and soaked in all of the beauty and wonder around me. And you know what I felt in that moment? Peace, happiness and hope. And an excitement to see what lies ahead.

So what's the moral of my story? That you do indeed need to drop the stilettos every once in a while. You never know what joys await...

A Walk in the Clouds

I know I don't have a normal opinion of what it means to wear fabulous shoes. However, we all know that these blue satin Manolo Blahniks Carrie wore on her second wedding day in SATC are nothing short of perfection. I actually think wearing them would feel like walking in the clouds.

Ok, ok, you think I'm exaggerating. But these shoes are gorgeous. Like when you take a drive in the mountains and the sun shines through the clouds to illuminate the earth as if God himself is peeking down, and you think you've never seen anything so beautiful. I mean a ride in the mountains is nothing short of exquisite. So what's wrong with killing two birds with one stone? On my next journey into nature I'm going to be wearing fabulous shoes - on a skyline drive or down the boardwalk before I take them off to put my toes in the sand. If you are going to do something heavenly, why not wear the proper footwear?

What's In the Bag?

There is a running joke in my family that I cannot see my parents without my father saying, "I have a bag for you from your mother." Today when I went to their house before golfing with Dad was no different. Typically the bag has books, old mail or something Mom is looking to get rid of in it. Today, it held a gift.

I was blessed to have all 4 of my grandparents in my life until 1994. As I pulled the books and People magazine out of the bag this evening, I discovered a journal titled "Grandma Remembers" that my dad's mom filled out for us. As I flipped through it, I cracked up at some of the things Grandma wrote and had to call my dad to clarify one story (apparently hospitals were a luxury in the 20s when your kid set fire in a closet...)

On the page called Funny Events is a picture of my grandparents from 1945 (which puts them in their 30s) and my grandmother wrote, "acting as Bob's caddy when he played golf in Warm Springs, VA in August 1945, while visiting his sister." Now if you'll recall, the first tournament I played in last month, the tournament that catapulted me into wanting to call myself "golfer" was in Hot Springs, VA at the Homestead. To think that my grandparents had one of their funniest memories close to where I had one of mine! Did I tell you about the torrential rain we had during the tournament? Thank God I wasn't wearing white!

It's amazing the little gifts life brings you at the right moments. I certainly owe a larger debt of gratitude than I realized to my friend who invited me to play in that tournament. Or perhaps it is Grandma and Grandad I owe the debt to... I do sense their hand in all of this. Regardless, I will look forward to the bags my parents always have for me. You never know what they might contain!

Bucket List Boots

I recently wrote my bucket list and will share it in a future post. Obviously, golfing was on it, and I got the swift kick in the butt I desperately needed to start playing when a friend invited me to play in a tournament. I've been pretty consistent since - taking lessons and playing with my Dad.

Most of my bucket list is based on places I want to see and experiences I'd like to have. These over the knee Jimmy Choo stiletto boots would fall under the experiences I'd like to have column.

Can you imagine what those experiences could be?