Shoes

Have you ever felt a clear sense of gratitude for the existence of shoes? It seems like I have very little experience with that. I'm sure this varies from person to person, and some people appreciate their shoes every day, polish them, and value them more than anything else in their possessions. I also don't feel like I'm being rough with my shoes. In fact, once they feel that the shoes they like are starting to fit them, they tend to wear them until they can't wear them anymore. Well, what do you think? I wonder if it's rude to wear them by wearing them out. I'm worried because it says "crush". However, I don't wear them with the intention of crushing them; I think it's more like wearing them because I like them and wearing them a lot. It's close, or it's definitely the latter.

I seem to have an animistic sensibility, and I often feel gratitude for the things I use and wear on a daily basis. On cold winter days, we are grateful for the clothes that protect us from the cold. I also find myself frequently thanking the cars and bicycles that take me from the train station to my home or workplace, which is far away. What is the difference between shoes and these? Feelings? No, clothes and shoes aren't cheap, so I have a lot of trouble buying them. After thinking about it, I choose what I think is the right one, so there doesn't seem to be any difference in my feelings towards it. Cars are on different orders of magnitude in price, and I don't know much about cars, so I chose the cheapest one possible out of the recommendations from people. If the level of commitment you have when choosing is a factor, then I feel that the level of commitment to a car is much less than that of shoes. It's an expensive purchase, so I think it's important to take good care of it, but compared to shoes, I think the feeling of being a one-of-a-kind person is smaller.

What comes to mind as a unique feature of shoes is the length of time they are with each other. I'm someone who wears out my shoes, so once I start wearing them, I basically wear them every day outside the house. We don't wear the same clothes every day, and cars and bicycles are only used for transportation. If we were to compare the sense of distance between us and other people, we could say that shoes are like family members whose presence is always taken for granted, while clothes and cars are like close work colleagues. Does that mean I've been living with one shoe for so long that my sense of gratitude has become numb? No, if I write it like this, it will lead to the impression that I have forgotten my gratitude towards my family. I have never forgotten how grateful I am to my family. However, I feel that shoes and family overlap in that they are so close that they can become too commonplace. If the main thing that brings you closer is the time you spend together, there are other things as well. It's glasses. For me, glasses are something I spend more time with than shoes. There is a big difference between wearing glasses and shoes, which are essential even at home, and the only times you don't wear glasses are when you sleep or take a bath.

Now, if you're wondering if we're less aware of gratitude towards our glasses, that's not the case at all. Shoes will be very surprising when you hear this. You may find yourself opening your mouth even wider, wondering why people keep appreciating your glasses. This image can be easily understood by imagining Q-taro (title omitted), a ghost who has the ability to transform into shoes. I have a personal situation regarding these shoes that I would like to talk about.

I have very low visual acuity and severe astigmatism, so I feel extremely anxious when I take off my glasses. Sometimes I seriously think about what I would do if my glasses suddenly broke or went missing. As a modern person who relies heavily on sight among all the senses, I don't exaggerate, but I don't think I would be able to survive without glasses. Glasses are a lifesaver. No, it's the benefactor of life. Hmm, no. It's a gift. A gift of life. I feel like a new word has been born.

What about shoes? In fact, shoes are also essential for living in modern times. A while ago, I met a person who basically lives barefoot and even runs barefoot. Oh my god, I thought, but if you think about it in general, that person must be quite rare. Most people wear shoes at least when they go outside. On the other hand, there were a lot of people who didn't wear glasses, so maybe there's a trick here as well.

Speaking for myself, I feel like I wear glasses out of necessity. People with good eyesight do not need glasses. Compared to such people, I need glasses because of my eyesight. Having something to compare with like this makes it easier to realize the necessity. Realizing the need for something can easily lead to what you want. Find glasses, choose them, and wear them. Then your vision becomes clear. I feel like the reason for my gratitude is clear.

On the other hand, shoes. Most people wear shoes. Although there are people who live without their eyes, it has become commonplace for no one to go out naked or barefoot. In other words, wearing shoes is something we take for granted. Clothes change depending on the season, and as in the previous example, you can feel grateful for being able to protect yourself from the cold. However, when it comes to shoes, I generally don't walk barefoot, and unlike clothes, they don't depend on the seasons, so I feel like it's hard to feel that shoes have saved my life.

So to speak, shoes are almost your feet. It can feel like a thick skin that protects you from external stimuli. If it were a part of your body, would you go to the trouble of continuing to be grateful? Shoes have become so commonplace that I may have forgotten how much I appreciate them. I think there was a TV commercial a long time ago with the catchphrase, "Your glasses are part of your face," but now I feel like shouting out loud, "Your shoes are almost a part of your feet." The important thing here is that it's not just part of the foot, but almost part of the foot. In other words, it's not the legs after all. A foot is a foot, a shoe is a shoe. If you confuse that, you may end up forgetting to be grateful like I did.

When you think about it this way, don't you think that shoes are very precious? Compared to other things, there are fewer opportunities to say thank you, but they are used harshly every day. There may be times when you don't want to exist. Moreover, the basic style is grounded. It's not often that you feel as radiant as flying through the sky. Even when you fly through the sky on an airplane or a balloon, shoes are what keep you grounded to the floor of the vehicle. I can't enjoy the beautiful scenery. Still, it continues to exist, with only the occasional bending of the sole and no bending of the navel. It takes care of both the coldness of the snow and the scorching heat of the asphalt on a summer day. Truly an unsung hero. Come to think of it, there is a word called the unsung hero, but if there is someone who quietly supports something behind the scenes, the shoes that that strong person is wearing behind the scenes carry all the weight. I can say that I am looking for it. amazing. In this world, more than anyone else, more than anything else, shoes may be the ones that silently, silently, and secretly continue to do extremely difficult things. This may be what it means to accumulate virtue.

I've never paraglided, but when you're in that condition, you're flying through the air without your shoes touching the ground. How do you feel about the shoes at that time? I hope you are enjoying the fleeting rays of sunshine. It's normal for us to stay in contact with the ground, so it's exciting to imagine what it would be like to experience running through the sky in shoes that are only familiar to us. Ah, I want my shoes to taste that way. I thought paragliding was dangerous and something I would do for the rest of my life, but maybe paragliding will become a time in my life. This is also thanks to the shoes.

Oh, wait a minute. For a while, I imagined how tight the shoes would be based on my own values, but maybe I don't like shoes to be in contact with the ground? I can't say anything about touching the ground itself, but the moment when you can step on the ground at a critical moment is more irresistible than anything else, don't you think? If that's the case, my series of rambling thoughts may end up depriving me of the opportunity to step on my shoes.

In my daily work in mental health care, I often come into contact with people who are unable to express what they want to say. What things make you happy and excited, and what things make you feel irritated, depressed, or withdrawn? I want you to tell me about these various feelings, but if you get too carried away with those feelings, you may end up asking too much, or your imagination may run ahead of you like I did earlier. Sometimes, even though the other person hasn't said anything, you automatically turn your imagination into a certainty, and that's the answer! I almost feel like I'm going to explode with Enyakola. It's very scary to judge someone's feelings before listening to them. It was dangerous. Contrary to my imagination, I was about to take the plunge and head out to the paragliding field, not thinking about the fact that my shoes might be uncomfortable if they weren't in contact with the ground.

What do shoes make you feel and what are you thinking about?

I feel like it would be very interesting to be able to interact with shoes. I've been to many places with my shoes, and even when we're in the same place, my perspective is completely different. Is there a story about how many people who own shoes like this look like this from the perspective of shoes? He has a special skill of looking at how dirty his shoes are and marking them according to where he lives... No, these are just my imagination, so I'm sure there are more unexpected shoe perspectives. I am very curious.

I just happened to go to the shoe storage area at the entrance. There, the shoes I had been wearing all the time had been carelessly taken off. I stared at it for a while, but I couldn't imagine what the shoes were thinking. I also opened the shelf where my shoes are stored. There were several pairs of shoes that were worn out and could no longer be worn.

Come to think of it, I like looking at shoes I can no longer wear. As I looked at it for a while, many memories of the time I wore those shoes came back to me little by little like little bubbles. The extremely light bitterness and sweet and sour taste stimulated me and disappeared quickly. It was a happy time, like a micro valve. It turns out that worn-out shoes can be a very humble time machine.

Shoes are always with you. Just being there. How amazing is that? This is true because shoes that have been worn out and experienced various experiences have the mysterious power to travel back and forth through time and space, simply by remaining on a shelf after retirement.

Hoshino Concept Hoshino Ganen

Psychiatrists, etc. While working as a psychiatrist, he also writes and plays music. In addition to serializing in magazines and on the web, he has also contributed numerous articles. There are various musical activities. Her books include ``Love Medicine'' (2018), ``Freedom Supplement'' (2019) (both published by Little More), co-authored with Seiko Ito, and solo author ``It may not seem like it, but it might be ~ Fermented Love Psychiatrist''. There is a ``Deluded Words'' (2021) (Mishima Publishing).

Photo: Hiroshi Nakamura