Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Listen to the Four Year Old

When I was four years old, my mother made what she probably believes to be the worst mistake of her life; she allowed me to choose my own shoes. They were red, canvas sneakers and like a dark magician, it seemed I could conjure them at will. My mother would subdue my wild little feet into lacy socks and those horrible shiny black shoes for church but I would smuggle the red sneakers into the back seat and surreptitiously change into them. Having four kids, my mother was too distracted to notice until it was too late and she was forced to endure the shame of having her youngest daughter displaying highly unfashionable footwear to the entire congregation.
Her second regret might be sewing a jumpsuit for me out of blue fabric covered in red smiley faces. I wore it so long that not only did I appear to be waiting for a tsunami, but since it was one piece I could no longer stand up straight and had to stoop and slump like Quasimodo to avoid ripping my jumpsuit in half. I was an aberration of the feminine, graceful swan my mother expected but no one could have said that I didn't know my style!
Through the years, the world encourages us to conform but we would do better to trust our four year old selves.  I've been called a tomboy among other things. My sons tell me I am the Peter Pan to their Lost Boys.  As the old saying goes, when someone says something to you about yourself, well, "if the (red) shoe fits"........you know the rest.

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