Day Off, Wrong Shoes On

Caught up in all I was doing at home on this (once again) unexpected day off ("day off" isn't for a freelancer always as welcome a surprise as it might be for many), I discovered that I had walked out of my apartment to meet my son's bus wearing the shoes I usually reserve for just in my apartment or building. It was too late to go back--I might miss the bus--and anyway, it wasn't that they'd be ruined. It was simply that they aren't meant for long walks, and, okay, they look a little ridiculous with bright orange patterned socks.
 
So there I was, hoofing it the few blocks to the bus stop, wishing that my feet were more supported and sure that my lower half would be cause for laughter from the hundreds of strangers one passes on a few-block walk in New York City.
 
When I returned with my son a half hour later, I was eager to rest my feet. But I realized that not a single person--those I knew and those I didn't--had even looked at my feet. If anyone did, I certainly didn't know it. And on this not-working afternoon, I learned a few things...
 
1. Most of the time, people are way too wrapped up in their own lives and concerns to be at all aware of your life and concerns, much less the shoes and socks on your feet.
 
2. There is something oddly satisfying about being so consumed with what you are doing that you forget what shoes you are wearing.
 
3. Being around to do the things you don't usually get to do (no matter what shoes you're wearing while doing them) is a good reminder that, even for a freelancer, a day off doesn't have to be a disaster.
 
4. Sometimes, it takes not having enough time for a redo to remind you how adaptable you really are.
 
5. Feet can survive mistakes and people can survive mistakes, a lot more often than you might think.
 
And thus ends the day off with the wrong shoes...