My dear boot Asolo…good bye old friend.
After 300+ miles. After protecting me for so many years with so many memories, you finally gave up the ghost in the aisle of a hardware store last weekend. Oh sure, I saw the signs. But I ignored them. I didn’t want to face them. I saw the tread wearing thin. I felt the encroaching water when I walked through a puddle. Surely some Goo shoe repair will fight off the inevitable? No. Half way down aisle 32 of Lowe’s your left sole began to flap like little more than a cheap pair of summer flip flops. I knew it was over. You did too.
300 miles, easily.
- You beat two treks to Philmont Scout Ranch. You still carry the brands on your leather.
- You happily trudged over countless miles on forgotten mountain trails across our nation.
- You weathered the blistering sands of Egypt in the shadows of the Great Pyramids of Giza.
- You sat next to me as I bathed my feet in the River Jordan.
- You carried me through the dark alleys of London, the moors of Scotland, the hills of San Francisco.
- You outlived more socks and laces than I can remember.
- Your toe was the heaviest hammer. Your heel the most powerful shovel.
- You never fought back against the demands of my feet. But rather, you conformed to fit me.
- You woke so early with me on many mornings to enjoy a warm fire at Caddo Lake.
- And even with a tough and rigid soul, you served as my soft pillow many nights in my tent.
- Never complaining.
All to collapse in the aisle of a hardware store. How pedestrian of an ending for such a noble care giver of my sole. You deserve better than the trash. So I am boxing you up. Sending you home. You were conceived and born in Treviso, Italy…just north of Venice in the southern foot hills of the Alps. But were delivered through your USA office in Lebanon, New Hampshire and it’s to Lebanon you shall return. Perhaps they can find a more fitting place for you to rest.
Thank you again. You will be missed. I’m not buying another boot yet. I’m just not ready. It is still too soon. But maybe one day I will meet another. I know you will be happy for us both as we take those early first steps to another 300+ miles. The first few steps in a new chapter of new memories.
Dream the dreams of a boot well lived. Of a boot that served well. Sleep well my friend.
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