Sometimes You Have to get Your Feet Dirty

This thought occurred to my sometimes-OCD self as I was sitting barefoot on my balcony overlooking the corner of Chicago Avenue and Main St. in Evanston, Illinois. My husband and I were enjoying our newly purchased outdoor furniture on a balmy-for-Chicagoland, Friday night. “I should put on shoes, my feet will get dirty,” I muttered to myself. But I was distracted by the transformation of the view from my balcony. Seemingly overnight winter had transitioned to spring, and the previously brittle brown branches were sprouting green leaves and tulips were bursting from bulbs buried beneath what had been ice-packed soil.

Spring in Chicagoland

It has only been our balcony for two months. We moved north from Florida in February and couldn’t wait for the weather to be warm enough to spend time outside our sliding glass doors. We were playing rummy and listening to Jackson Brown’s “Standing in the Breach”. I noticed a lone soul standing on the corner across from the Chicago Main newsstand, an Evanston community staple for almost fifty years. He was wearing a sandwich board with a vague, anti-Zionist message and holding an upside-down American flag. Occasionally people honked and waved. He occupied that corner for the two hours my husband and I languished on our balcony, my naked feet forgotten.

Lone Protestor across from the iconic Main Chicago Newsstand

Robert Levine’s book, A Geography of Time, argues that it’s possible to elongate time by fully inhabiting the moment. Those two hours on the balcony felt like I had taken a dip into infinity (of course the fact that I had taken a five-milligram gummy could have contributed to the spaciousness of the moment. After all, I am living in a state where THC products are legal.) The atmosphere, novelty, and even the edible grounded me in the moment and even provided an incubator for a little romance.

Sunset from the balcony

Fully inhabiting our positive moments becomes even more important as we age. So, kick off your shoes and be willing to get your feet dirty, at least on occasion.