Happy the Shoes

My photo. A stack of used-up walking and running shoes early in my athletic transformation.

No, this post is not about athletics or running. It's about donations.

I woke up way too early this morning, but dozed a little after 5 am, only to have the phrase, "Happy the shoes" echo in my head. I suppose it's because I donated four pairs of running shoes yesterday at DSW Shoes in Lexington to Soles 4 Souls, a charity I especially like. S4S takes gently-used (or new) shoes of all types, not just athletic shoes, and gives them to people who need them. As they say, a good pair of shoes can change a person's life--preventing disease and other health problems, keeping them warm, making it possible to go to school or work, and helping them feel better about themselves. (Please, the shoes must be in good condition if you are thinking of donating--my running shoes are used up for running after 500 miles or so, but still have plenty of other life in them and look okay. I run through about three pairs a year, and I can't keep them all for walking and other uses. So I donate the best ones.)

Anyway, I lay there, thinking how strange the phrase was and what it might mean. Are the shoes happy? Are the people who receive the shoes happy? Are the people who work at the charity happy? I haven't decided yet which is the right question to ask, or what any of the answers are.

What do you think?

And I'm Back

My photo.

How did it get to be nearly a month since my last blog post? Well....

• Work
• Bad tooth
• Other health concerns (not serious)
• Other chores--fall is busy when you have a house and garden

In fact, fall has come and nearly gone by now. We've had more than one frost here.

I'm starting a new phase of my life. I'm taking a break from contract writing and plan to improve my mental health, which is in a state of disrepair. Going forward, I'll concentrate on fiction writing and nonfiction articles about personal finance when it comes to work. But I'm going to make a lot of time for other activities. I need to. I have to keep too many plates spinning at once, and they had begun hitting the ground and crashing.

One of the first things I'll do is participate in NaNoWriMo, otherwise known as National Novel Writing Month. While I do so, I'll remember my friend Glenn, who often took part but, even when he didn't, supplied much encouragement to other writers. God bless Glenn, wherever he is now in the wider life, as we like to say in my church. I miss you, you cranky not-so-old bastard.

More will appear soon.