There is a gumpy little saying cruising the internet. It’s all over facebook, adorned with rainbows or kittens. To be a rebel, I’m attaching my saddle oxfords to it…or I would if I had any.
First…the saying.
If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.
These words of pseudo wisdom are often attributed to “deep-thinker” Lao Tzu. He didn’t say them. Nor did he write them in his 81 lessons in the Tao Teh Ching. Because they’re fictionally attributed to him, then one of my fictional characters from my books will add, “Whatta buncha New Age Bull-loney!”
I ran a little test on the meme.
When a friend recently posted this photo of these oxfords, it reminded me how I longed for a pair when I was young. All the cool kids had them. We couldn’t afford them. I’m not sure what I wore instead—probably something that resembled cement blocks—because a pair of shoes had to last the entire school year.
So re-living the past made me a little sad. That part is true.
But then…My motto is: It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. I went on a quest, looking for adult oxfords.
For only $105, I found a spiffy updatedd pair. They were beautiful—until I put them on.
- No arch support.
- Toes pinched together
- I was going to have to use shoe polish to keep them looking “spiffy.” Gaaak! Too much work.
- Too much discomfort to qualify for the the $105 “Bull-loney!” price.
Now…I’m not saying the shoes of the by-gone days were terrible…or if you loved your saddle oxfords you’re wonky. All that I’m asking is, could it be that the past wasn’t as bad or good as I remembered it? (Kind of like “first loves” who tend to be remembered more fondly than they really were).
So… I gave a boot-kick to little one liners like the one above, which imply that if you were simply more disciplined and made yourself think the right thoughts, then you wouldn’t be such a dipsy-doodle.
Where are the one-liners that say …
- You’re human.
- Sometimes you’re in the present.
- Sometimes you remember the past
- Sometimes you’re gonna gnaw on your bottom lip, thinking “what-ifs” about the future.
- Change happens.
- Forgive yourself.
- Love yourself.
- Go get a comfortable pair of shoes.
Oh, and I’m attaching a cute little picture so you’ll know these one liners have credence.
Before Morning Breaks 
There’s a wonderful book called, ‘The Way We Never Were’ that addresses all those false flag memories. I was surprised how much of my past was an illusion!
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Do you think the more creative we are as writers, then the more fictional our past becomes? It’would be interesting to see a study. Thanks for the book recommendation.
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Love the one-liners. I wish to keep them all today. Much as i wish to live in the present and have peace within in, I still have remnants of the past and have anxieties of the future. It is my goal to live in the moment. To enjoy life as it comes. To worries less. To beat stress. To breathe more and just have that inner joy in being simple, at peace, content. Like this one, “My motto is: It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. I went on a quest, looking for adult oxfords.” Life is short not to chase the many things that brings us bits of happiness. Best of blessings to you and your family.
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Yep, my new quest is the here and now, instead of the Oxfords. Thanks for stopping by.
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I don’t think I ever had saddle shoes. You’re so right, though: the shoes you got at the beginning of the school year had to last the whole year.
That saying is stupid, even with puppies or kitties or unicorns. There has to be a “sappy meme factory” out there somewhere, churning this stuff out for the interwebz. I’m tired of them, but they are still much better than the horrible political stuff. My hubby quietly unfriended an actual friend last week because, although a sweetheart in real life, she keeps reposting vile, hateful things aimed at people with whom she disagrees.
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So when you unfriend someone…do they know it? Wait…I’ll look it up. It seems that they don’t know unless they go looking for you in their friends list…or go looking for your posts because they no longer receive them. Now I know why I don’t hear from people.
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Oh yes, Saddle Oxfords and odes to the past. Thank you for your refreshing and most HUMAN one-liners. I can relate.
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Maybe I should make T-shirts and sell them on my website. ‘”Women Unite!!! Comfortable, arch-supported shoes for all!
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I like the one liner: “Life is too short to wear uncomfortable shoes…” Unfortunately, a large portion of the female population doesn’t agree, and footwear manufacturers tend to cater to them.
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Margie, that’s a whole post by itself. “Why are comfortable show ugly?” I wish there were arch-supported, heel-cushioned, high heels.
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Would comfortable shoes be viewed as ugly if the fashion industry hadn’t programmed us to think that way?
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I respond MUCH more positively to honest sayings. The last one which made me smile said
‘i try and take things one day at a time, but sometimes several of them gang up on me and attack’.
And shoes which need polishing? Bleah. Shoes which throw my back out of alignment? Double bleah.
I wear shoes as rarely as possible. And consequently tread in unfortunate things and stub my toes. Sometimes life is a game designed for everyone else…
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Do you have snow in Oz? Cold weather? Stickers? How do you get away with being barefoot in the park so much? It sounds wonderful.
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I always thought the saddle shoes aka saddle oxfords, were clunky looking. I preferred sandals of all shapes and styles and, pf course, my moccasins. I would put little braids in my long hair and put leather and feathers in them. I never heard of fried pickles, but do not like pickles anyways. Now elephant ears and churros—yum!
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So you went “native”? So far there are more votes for moccasins than saddle shoes as the vintage shoe of comfort.
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Keep your eyes open. You may still find a perfectly fitting pair one day.
I thought those were spats?
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Hi Guapsterola. I hope you’re enjoying your brief break. I’ve given up on spiffy shoes. I’d have to google spats, I’m not sure what the difference is except you have to have a top hat and a cane to wear spats.
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I loved my saddle shoes. And do you remember when “white bucks” were the absolute craze? Oh yeah, they cost $4.95 a pair. Those were the days! Alice
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Well, obviously I was wrong. It seems most people remember their shoes with loving nostalgia. I wonder if folks will say the same thing about flip-flops or those tennis shoes with lights in the soles.
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A good lesson – there was a skirt I always wanted as a teen. It came back once in the early 90’s I think, but I was too broke to get one. By the time it comes around again, I’ll not ever want to wear a skirt again – and probably shouldn’t 🙂
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Hey!!! Have you seen the “pajama pants”?. Big loose legged pants with drawstring tops. Ralph Lauren has several pair in their summer lineup. Thank heavens they weren’t paisley again. You’re so right. Funny how styles keep circling around.
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I don’t remember wanting saddle oxfords . . . I wanted Indian mocassins and/or penny loafers. My mom told me to save my pennies.
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I did love penny loafers. I wore the heels off a pair. We had too many goathead stickers around to make mocassins possible. Those thorns could work their way through hard soles.
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I wanted those shoes too. I don’t any more!
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I’d like a pair of stilettos, too, but my body laughs each time I mention it.
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I had those shoes. They were part of the uniform I had to wear to Catholic school. I hated them.
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Really? Did you hate them because they were uncomfortable or because they were part of “school”? I’d always wanted a pair, but now I simply wear Keds (with cushioned inserts) and call it good.
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They were uncomfortable and hard to keep clean. And in Catholic schools, you HAD to be neat and clean.
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Or what?
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Punishment of some kind and your parents were notified too…especially if you were too young to attend to those things. But they made sure it embarrassed you. The nuns were good at dishing out embarrassment.
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My mother (who was not raised Catholic) eventually took me out of Catholic schools and put me in the public school system. She got tired of those shenanigans. She ripped a new one on a priest who threatened to beat me for not attending Mass one Sunday due to the weather. We lived in Newfoundland at the time. My mother was tiny lady, but was raised with 4 brothers and could have kicked his a$$ up between his shoulder blades in a heart beat. She was tough.
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Bought a pair of those shoes in the late 90s. They were fun but no support and not all that comfy. Sometimes it’s best if the good old days stay in the past!
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Well, I’m a bit late in learning that lesson, but now that I’ve got it…I’m assuming the “fried pickles” at the drive-up weren’t as good as I remember, and will skip trying to re-create them at home.
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What a blast from the past, Barb. I certainly do remember these shoes. Even the guys wore them. Also went by the name “saddle shoes”. I used to have a pair of tan and dark brown….loved them. Also remember “bucks”? White bucks and dirty bucks. Life was simple then, eh? Better close before I start quoting Pat Boone and get too depressed.
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I didn’t know those white shoes were called “bucks”. I’m waiting for Hushpuppies to make a comeback.
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