HILLS TO BEAR OR HEELS TO WEAR

When my youngest son was in grade school, he would call his friends together and boast proudly that his mom could run in heels. “Go ahead Mommy, show them!” he would say with excitement. Not sure why this was such a big deal to my son, but like an idiot, I would take off running in my heels to appease him.

Truth be told, I wear heels like most people wear sneakers [as we say in the North] or tennis shoes [as they say in the South]. I have high arches so it’s just more comfortable to strut around in my 3-inch heels or my 4-inch stacks. 

But for some reason, in the early 2000s, I decided to purchase a fabulous, closed-toe, 2-inch t-strap by designer Ellen Tracy called the Ellen Tracy “Kalli” kitten heel to wear to work. Not a good idea. About 2 minutes into my I think I’m bad strut from my office, down the hall to the entrance of the staircase, my heel twisted in some sort of freak rebellion for wearing the unfamiliar low heels and I went into a headfirst nosedive down the steps. How could I?

Why couldn’t I just accept the fact that low heels aren’t my thing? What the flappity flip flop? Seriously! I suffered for about 12 weeks because I refused to accept what I already knew about myself. I can’t walk in low heels!

What about you? Are you able to embrace self-acceptance and recognize the power it can have in guiding your life? Or will you, like me, have to learn the hard way and tumble headfirst down your personal flight of stairs? Trust me…the latter is so much harder than it has to be. You’ve been given the ability to acknowledge who and where you are in terms of self-awareness at this point in your life, which means that you can now use that knowledge to absorb your strengths like vitamins that nurture the body and mind and transform your weaknesses, like toxins being eradicated from your system. 

While your hills to bear will come and go, the heels you wear demonstrate your strength and purpose. Walk on the path that was meant for you in the shoes that denote your dignity. 

At 62, I still strut around in my 4-inch heels. And when other women, younger and older ask me, “How do you walk in those heels?” I look them in their beautiful faces, smile and say, “One step at a time.”

MARIO'S MESSAGE