Saturday, May 23, 2009

flip flop

Flip Flop

flip flop. change. cambiar. trade. switch. turn. . . . . or a pair of sandal like shoes you wear to the beach.

this day brought new meaning to the word, and a lesson learned.

the howler monkeys were howling and the array of birds singing- pretty much the best alarm clock that shoots you right out of bed hoping you don’t miss anything. as the water boils for the french press it seems each morning the coffee tastes better. michael and i grabbed our cups, slipped on our flip flops and headed through the rainforest path for our first morning walk on our new home beach.

nothing like a cup of coffee on a morning walk. don’t get me wrong-i love that here and many places abroad the idea of “to go” is not an option. most places only carry solid glassware and it is just known that you are to sit and enjoy your coffee. almost anywhere you go coffee is offered as a pass time, to sit, sip, talk and enjoy. unfortunately the starbucks of the world have fed into my culture and with a hot cup of joe in hand it feels like it’s time to roll. with each sip of coffee and each new turn of an undiscovered corner I feel like a jack in the box just waiting to pop up through the top.

as we pass through the forest cove and hit the beach we both throw our flip flops off, more than ready to feel the sand under our tired feet. in much need of a natural pedicure i can feel my feet, body and mind are craving the rocks, salt water and shells underneath each toe. the flops can’t be flipped off soon enough. without thinking michael covers both with sand and studies the overgrown tree to mark our spot. i think nothing of it and just know from the beginning of this journey he has done nothing but take care of us.

the stroll is beyond my vocabulary and a picture will never do this place justice. costa rica has a more than less protected coast line and no house can be built directly on the beach. therefore after being use to studying the different porches and roof top decks that people build on their million dollar homes, here you jump to the sounds of coconuts dropping and huge branches taking their final plunge.

the air feels so fresh and the breeze invites you to just walk and walk. of course michael and i continue to be overwhelmed with the fact that we are really here. that we made it. that we worked through the last weeks ups and downs. that we are married. that we can just be together. that life needs more time to just take deep breaths.

heading back to our cove we approach the overgrown tree, dig our feet through the sand and no flip flops. really? so we of course dig deeper. than look at the other trees. the one we left the flops by is more than distinct and so we dig again. at this point i’m waiting for someone to swing from the trees like robin hood and tell me how they steal from the rich and give to the poor. i want to meet them so i can say we too are just getting by and in my bags to pack i only allowed myself one pair of flip flops. even more i want them to know i just broke them in after a week of blisters, since these flops were a wedding gift. then without words michael and i look at eachother and almost in synch say “guess they needed them more than we do?”

of course we had to reexamine the tree. maybe just to give a laugh to the person that had been or was still watching us. that’s when michael pointed out another pair of flip flops. black. nice. size 6. my size. no my thought was not “great a replacement” but rather ok- “let’s see how long these last” “wish we could tell the flop’s owner to at least cover them up?” and yet the voices in your head silence and again you realize- “someone must need them more than us.”

the walk back over a rocky road was not the most comfortable but as michael said we needed to start training our feet to endure a bit more. think about the caveman, the indians. now this is an inspiration for a challenge. of course the realization also set in... that we were not just all alone on our own private, desolate beach embarking as the first ones to hit the sand early in the morning was a wake up call.
once at our casita we didn’t let it change our plans. michael grabbed his board and myself just a towel. we headed back to the beach barefoot and just as excited.


we walk and find a spot to soak up the surroundings. the days pass quicker than you want or imagine. as the sun is going down we head back to the cove to call it a day.
pass by the overgrown tree...no sign of our flops but sure enough the black pair still there. now we are thinking is this good karma? michael had brought a new pair of flops for when his old gave out so he didn’t need a pair. so why is that here sits a pair of flops my size right next to where ours were taken. again we walk past the flops and hope the owner is reunited with them.

two days pass and each time we pass the lonely black flops we just smile at each other.
a lesson learned. once again less is more, and if you don’t have more than others they won’t want what you have. keep it simple.
on the third day of walking through the cove, the flops were still in the same spot. michael made the decision that my flops were flipped. he showed up to the house with a smile on his face. “they were still there and not going anywhere-someone should put them to use”

i slide them on, overcome with joy to have shoes or shall i say flops again. and of course what do you know i might as well have been cinderella for the slipper just slid right on and fit like a glove. i have to say the other running shoes and crocs aren’t quite the same for a stroll to the beach, so having some flops felt good; again my culture has spoiled me and i can’t complain for each shoe serves a different purpose and tends to make the journey better.

so who ever named the flip flop? are they meant to be shared and rotated as needed? like bicycles should just be left on each corner so people have transportation as needed? if we all just shared there would be a lot less “stuff” and less concern about “mine”. just the other day we saw a guy living amongst the trees and he flip flopped by having two flops, same size, different designs-there’s a way to flip flop. or is it that they flop and flip when you walk? they float and flop on the water. not quite sure but everyone loves a pair of flip flops. i’m not concerned with the flop in flips just hope they are all being put to good use.

No comments:

Post a Comment