The long day started with an early morning doctor's appointment and ended with a line-up of new shoes - two pairs, two different sizes, but otherwise identical. These shoes, they mark our progress. The surgeon gave my son the green light to go brace-free during the day…but for only the left foot. The two different sizes allow my son to wear a brace on one foot, but not the other, and still have matching shoes.
I'm thankful for the progress. But, you know, it's not exactly what I was hoping for going into the appointment. I was hoping for both feet to be brace-free all day, of course. Some of the progress is slower than I hoped. And I'm not just talking about feet here, am I? Lately, it feels all progress in my personal world is slower than I would like it to be.
As I look at the shoes I wonder how often I don't see progress because it doesn't look like what I'm looking for? Like four shoes for two feet, sometimes progress looks less than ideal. Maybe progress looks like a different problem to deal with than the one you just tackled. Like you (or someone else) are messing up in a new way? Is it only perfection - the center bull’s-eye that matters, or could the outer rings count for something worth celebrating as well?
These silly shoes – eight light up spidey eyes winking at me as I put them away…they remind me to give grace. To give grace to myself and to others as we progress in weird ways that take a lot of insight to recognize as... progress.
I'm thankful for the progress. But, you know, it's not exactly what I was hoping for going into the appointment. I was hoping for both feet to be brace-free all day, of course. Some of the progress is slower than I hoped. And I'm not just talking about feet here, am I? Lately, it feels all progress in my personal world is slower than I would like it to be.
As I look at the shoes I wonder how often I don't see progress because it doesn't look like what I'm looking for? Like four shoes for two feet, sometimes progress looks less than ideal. Maybe progress looks like a different problem to deal with than the one you just tackled. Like you (or someone else) are messing up in a new way? Is it only perfection - the center bull’s-eye that matters, or could the outer rings count for something worth celebrating as well?
These silly shoes – eight light up spidey eyes winking at me as I put them away…they remind me to give grace. To give grace to myself and to others as we progress in weird ways that take a lot of insight to recognize as... progress.