"curved structural member serving as support"

eventually i will get to more important matters... like truly deep thoughts and all that jazz... but tonight as i was sitting on my couch listening to my sister prepare a speech (she has to give in 6 hours... no procrastinators in this house) i was looking at my foot. having lived in cleats and runners most of their lives, my feet are not even close to resembling anything close to beautiful... but tonight i was struck by the beauty of the arch of the foot...

i know you are laughing now, but look at your own foot. ain't dat a purty arch?? we put our feet through a lot *look at some of THOSE shoes in your closet* most people can't stand feet-- unshaved toe hair, half painted toe nails, smelly toe boogies... nothing attractive there... and the bottom of the foot is just the same... calluses and dried skin, maybe a crumb from the unswept kitchen floor... (maybe this is just applicable my feet, sorry if you are grossed out... stick with me for a second) and the majority of the foot makes you want to throw up... BUT then there are the arches... and they just scream "regal treatment" and seem to shine...

there are lots of types of arches... normal, high, flat, non-existent... i think the arch is beautiful. why? because the arch is the muscular junction supporting the entire surface of the posterior region of the foot. it indirectly and still directly supports the entire weight of a person... his/her posture, shoe preference, calf shape, exercise preference... it defines a person. if a person has arch problems, you can look for said person to experience some degree of musculoskeletal disruption... backaches, headaches, poor alignment of the spine, hair line fractures throughout the lower limbs...

and now you are thinking "erin you have lost it... arches, beauty, musculoskeletal disruption" and you could be right... but we could overlook word choices and delve a little deeper...

most arches are soft and don't have that thick layer of skin *scientifically, because the thick skin is saved for highly pressured/weight bearing areas of the epidermis) they don't really change shape if you point or flex your toes. they appear to be highly vascular... they are pretty strong little areas of the body... but if you were to ask above said person suffering from inadequate arches if he or she believed the arch of the foot to be beautiful, i am just going to guess the answer is no. orthodics and modified shoes have diminished their appreciation for and subsequent beauty of the arch. ultimately, people like this have learned a valuable life lesson that beauty and apparent strength don't always reflect the condition of the part of the body.

or maybe... beauty and apparent strength don't reflect the condition of the body *and there it is, the deeper side of me... i knew it would come out*

and maybe the reason this comes out is because of an understanding that seemed to knock me upside my face recently... like maybe it is okay to reach out and find "orthodics" or wear my sole supporters with pride instead of hiding them in whatever shoes i happen to be wearing... it's okay to own up to not being strong enough to support yourself... we aren't really supposed to be "arched wonders" roaming around leaving tarheel impressions behind us... :) *really wanted to throw out a UNC promo there... tried to refrain :)*

but here's a little something that may strike you as odd... who is most prone to have arch troubles? the elderly? nutritionally challenged? victims of illegal foot binding? *probably, but they aren't the real point here* maybe a little, but ATHLETES struggle the most with this issue. everywhere else they are fit as a whistle... (coma)(space)however(semi-colon) if you remove an implant or forget to tape a support around that arch, they can't perform. they are helpless to run... warm-up... tie a shoe... they can't do it! they can't prepare for a game without the support they know they need...

quick little life application from this brief fascination with la archa de mi footo (not really into spanish all that much, if you couldn't tell) if you want to do well, find support... and if you want to help others do well, be support...

ps- the title is the definition of an arch as recorded by webster... and the curved portion in total application means body curves are required *wink and a smile*

novos, neos, 'nu

so i just started blogging, but i have been blogging for a long time in my heart… kind of like a memory bank of the things that matter and the experiences that change my life… for example, when i see God or laugh so hard i wet my pants… watching someone pass away and sharing the joy of a new life… stuff like that… stuff that is often overlooked and taken for granted by those who fail to see the beauty in the everyday… simple pleasures such as cleanly shaven legs or a new jar of peanut butter while recognizing the painstaking efforts behind them (time and $2.57)*maybe $2.57… i don’t really know the cost of a new jar of crunchy jif :)*

newness… we appreciate it in its forms of new things… cars, shoes, clothes, accessories, a jar of peanut butter… but we don’t always value the challenges that accompany the newness. things like a new environment, new confrontations, new sense of self, new standards, new chances to learn. to me (in my short life as an existential person), we choose to hold onto the things we were, the things with which we are familiar, things that may limit us in our effectiveness…

as a lifelong athlete, i have respected new seasons, new teammates, new opponents, and new chances to succeed. as an perpetual student, i have cherished new subjects, new instructors, new chances to prove myself, and new pencils :) as a person in everyday life, i have failed to continually appreciate newness… the newness of the morning, new opportunities to share God’s love, new chances to grow, new problems that present themselves at the most inopportune times… you know what i mean?

so this blog is new for me… and it is a chance for me to expand myself, step out of the comfort zone, reach out and share instead of keeping everything to myself… i am embracing the new… how ‘bout you?