These Boots

These boots have stood toe-to-toe
with the biggest baddest joes
Like they had some things to prove
These boots

~Eric Church~

These are my boots.  They are Double H brand. 

They've seen quite a bit of life.  I bought them when I was 20 in a tiny place called Pungo, Virginia.  I was fresh out of Naval "A" school and had no idea who I was or where I was headed.  Both my housemates were guys and we were all pretty decent to each other, most of the time.  One of them had this big Ford F-350 diesel dually truck.  Even though it had a back seat, I would ride up front in the middle between the guys.  We'd smoke our Marlboro's, drink our Mountain Dew, and rock out to country and classic rock while rumbling down the road.  And we all three always wore boots.

Back in the day.....

Of course, I'm not that girl anymore.  Now, I'm a Mama and I quit smoking.  Hamburger Helper is no longer a main staple and I can't remember the last time I drank a Mountain Dew. 

But I still have my boots.  I thought they had been lost, thrown away when my former spouse chucked pretty much anything and everything he could.  He always hated my boots.......they were "country" and he didn't want a "country" wife.  But recently, my Mom started sorting through stuff in the cellar into keep and give piles.  As I walked past the give pile, I saw them.  My boots!  And it went like this.....

"Hey!  My boots!  HEY!!  MY BOOTS!!!!!! I thought they were GONE!  MY BOOTS!"

Seriously, my boots could not have shown up at a better time.  I know- they're "just boots."  But sometimes an inanimate object really can hold a piece of yourself, something that you thought had been lost over the years.  They are a little beat up, a little worn out.  They definitely need some TLC and Neatfoot Oil.  

A little TLC goes a long way.

They aren't so different from who I am now.  They've still got a whole lotta life left in them.  Just like me.  It's all good.