I notice shoes. Not shoes on feet, but ones without feet. People can't hang on to their shoes. I found this shoe nestled in gravel at Creve Coeur Lake. If I were going to the lake, this isn't a shoe I'd wear, so maybe that's how it ended up forgotten. Usually, if I find a shoe near water, it's a broken flip-flop. Then of course, it's not really a shoe as much as it is litter. Other shoes that get lost frequently are baby shoes. That's because babies are sneaky. Give a tot a stroller ride, and while you think the little one is napping, she is actually wiggling her toes free. Yes, Birdie and Daisy, you could be the "she" I'm referring to. And I know why moms don't retrieve the lost baby shoe, they're tired...make that exhausted...and a day with just one lost shoe is still a pretty good one. Teenage boys seem to lose a lot of sneakers. Drive a street long enough and you'll find a huge, battered sneaker midroad. I like to think the squirrels use these boats for cover as they make their suicidal streaks across the street. Although, on second thought, I don't think even a squirrel's nose could tolerate a teen's sneaker. I've spotted a few nice men's dress shoes. I guess the owners settle for barefoot day at the office. The most intriguing shoes I've seen are the beaten up remnants left docked in the Arizona desert like mini-Mayflowers. Illegal immigrants pile their worn out shoes on top of faded clothing. They switch into new clothing and fresh shoes brought with them as they cross the border. They change their look, and their shoes, to blend into life as they hope to begin to know it. I wonder how their shoe stories turn out. Do they settle in to enjoy the luxury of losing sneakers, tossing flip flops and replacing baby shoes? Or, do they end up back where they started, saving up for another pair of shoes to make another break for the good life?
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