Crooked Toes: by Nancy Malcolm

I have many redeeming qualities.  I am honest, creative, kind and thoughtful.  I have been blessed with good genes….but can you keep a secret?  I have crooked toes.  When I was younger, I never even knew this could be a possibility, and truthfully not until I hit 50 did the possibility become a full fledged reality.

‘Don’t over analyze it’, you might be thinking.  But, I’m wondering…could crooked toes have a deeper meaning?  Is this a blessing in disguise or an omen?  So far it appears to be a life lesson.  While all my friends are sporting fabulous sandals and beautiful open-toe pumps…I’m searching for closed-toe, geriatric, orthopedic shoes.  Oh sure, I wear sandals, but they don’t really have the effect I’m wishing for.

So, here’s a question to ponder… Am I going to let a few crooked toes stop me from living life?  Crooked toes can be a metaphor for whatever ails you:   heavy thighs, stretch marks, thinning hair.  If I give up my quest for the perfect sandal, am I letting crooked toes win?  Am I really going to let a few little deformed digits determine my disposition?  ‘Oh hell no!’  I would like to say, but the truth lies somewhere between hell no and hope not.

My happiness and contentment is not contingent upon whether my toes are straight or crooked.  However, in order to live by that creed, I must embrace my quirkiness wholeheartedly.  Here goes…

I am grateful that I can walk, and that I have all 10 toes.

I am grateful that I can afford to buy shoes.

I am sort of grateful to learn the lesson that my ten toes are not the sum of who I am.

I’m learning to be grateful for this aging body and its own standard of beauty.

I guess, to answer my question of “Could crooked toes have a deeper meaning?”  Yes.  I’m thinking that no one’s life is a straight line or an even path.  We all have little detours, bends and curves in the road and that is what makes our lives an adventure.

So, here’s to my dear crooked toes, my fellow travelers, my unique phalanges.  Let’s be friends.  I want to make your life as comfy as possible;  we’ve still got miles to go and a lot of life yet to live.