"Oh, my, I must tie my shoe." I said. We stopped and got out of people traffic stream.
I looked down at the shoe:
I had absolutely no idea how to it. Nothing came into my head.
It was like I was 8 years old again. I came to shoe tie time a few years after most of my schoolmates. I still cringe when I remember a gym class where we had to toss shoes around so they (the shoes) were scattered around the gym floor and we (students) had to find our pair, put said pair of shoes on, tie them, and reach a finish ASAP. I could handle the take off and throw, knowing what what was to come. "Go!"said the gym coach. Off. Toss. Find. Put on, and shuffle to the finish line. I don't remember who it was walking next to me, but he said, "Your shoes." I asked him to do it, begged him to tie them for me. Our class was a good size and the few seconds of not being with any part of the group would not be missed. He kindly did it, but that scene of dread has stayed in my mind since. Another thing I could not do right. I told my parents upon my arrival home that afternoon, tried to negotiate a switch to Hush Puppies, my preference, but was given one of my father's work shoes to figure it out. I could not go to bed until I did. So I sat at the kitchen and did what I could do. Of course, I was shown the general hints:
Bunny runs in the tree hole. And up and.. lost the bunny. Try again
Eventually, I got the idea, and completed the task, though I still like Hush Puppies.
So here I was with my wife tying my shoes while grade school kids ran by. Full circle.
That night though, I did not go to bed until I could move my fingers in their now limited ability until I had those aglets clicking in the right place. I could tie my shoes again.
Still I am at the age where a loud shirt, barely not waist busting shorts, long black socks, and a pair of these:
There's not a gym coach anywhere who would challenge me. I got my Puppies on, bud, and no matter how many other abilities come and go, I still got them Puppies.
So, MS, what else you got?
