Air it out!

I have boys that have apparently inherited a propensity for sweaty feet from both sides of our family.  Add this to Keens and Chacos and you end up with some pretty smelly shoes.  Some of you know what I'm talking about, but if you've been blessed with kids who can wear those shoes without making you nauseous with the odor you should thank God EVERY DAY!

If I haven't lost you yet, please know that I don't just let the stink grow and build.  They are pretty expensive, and apart from the smell they are great play shoes.  So I've tried a variety of methods to get rid of the smell.  Odor Eaters spray, anti-bacterial wipes and sprays, soaking in Oxy-Clean for a couple of days, trying Voodoo spells with leftover Buffalo Wings.  The thing that works better than anything is setting the shoes out in the sunlight for a few hours.  

That's sort of what I'm doing with this blog, letting some of those stinky feelings air out in the bright sunshine.  Two things have happened.  First, so many people have told me that they have those same feelings and hear those negative voices.  While I hate that so many of us have that shared experience, it is interesting that we all have it.  How many of us thought we were the only ones who felt shame or unworthiness?  Some people I viewed as sailing through life told me about their anxieties, and a couple of incredibly sweet people have told me that they are surprised by my writing because to them I appear cool as a cucumber.  

There is a quote attributed to Plato that says "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."  In trying to confirm that it was, in fact Plato, I found other people who may have said it:  Philo of Alexandria and Ian Maclaren, also known as Rev. John Watson.  Not to be confused with Jackson Heights' own Mr. Randy Watson.  You all may know him as Joe the Policeman from the "What's Goin' Down" episode of "That's My Momma." (If you know the source of this quote just let me say “Hello soul mate!”  Or should I say “SOUL-GLO mate?”)

Click here for Jackson Heights' Own Mr. Randy Watson

Anyway, hearing people's responses to this blog has helped me really understand that a lot of us are fighting a hard battle.  And opening up about that battle allows other people to say “Yes I understand, and you are not alone.”  And when you know you’re not alone you feel empowered to do just about anything.

The second thing I’ve noticed about exposing these stinky feelings in this blog is that they now have a much harder time taking hold of me.  They aren’t compatible with sunshine and fresh air.  Or running.  Oddly enough, I feel most “normal” when I’m out on a run; all is right with the world.   I may be slow, but I can outrun the stinky feelings.

Several years ago in Sunday School my friend Clay Brown pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill and asked if anyone wanted it.  Of course we all said yes.  He then pulled out a container with water and placed the twenty in the water until it was soaked.  He asked us again if we still wanted it and again, we all said yes.  He then pulled out a baggie of dirt and dumped it in the container of water creating some pretty nasty mud.  He ground the formerly crisp twenty in the mud and asked again if any of us wanted the bill.  Again, even though we were in our Sunday best and not in terrible financial straits, all of us were willing to take a chance on a muddy twenty dollar bill.  Clay finished the demonstration by asking why we would place so much value on a soaked, muddy twenty dollar bill while failing to see the value of our own selves beyond the damp, muddy, stinky feelings. God created us for better purposes than that.

Let’s “air it out” and get on with the race!