The Shoes of the Wandering Jew

(Source)


As I mentioned in an earlier post, when my dog was lost I saw it as the ending of an era . . .
Auggie is the last vestige of the 'Pre-Yeshivah' me . . . A life that revolved around other things and existed in other times, a long time ago in galaxy far, far away

There has since been another change; a new epoch has begun.

Last year, you see, was the year of my traveling . . .

Here, perhaps, I ought to make note, that I did not only travel last year . . .
True, the purpose of Letters of Thought was initially to document my experiences abroad; starting in Venice and moving on to life in Eastern Europe. To that extent I have managed to write over nineteen posts tagged as Travel
(I say 'over nineteen' since there are in fact more - I am not yet done going through my Archives) that, I hope at least, have documented my world -my adventures ranging from the mundane to the surreal.
Last year, however, the majority of my time stationed in Warsaw, and then later, Lithuania was spent learning Torah, praying, working with others, enjoying my friends and the like (I suppose I most truthfully add blogging as well).

That being said, I did due an almost inordinate amount of travel last year . . . on a deeper level one could say that I traveled, i.e. grew, as well -those of you who know me might be able to tell if such statement is in fact true. (I say so because one often can not be a proper judge of his own personal character)

This year is different.
I don't travel this year.
I have chosen, for the most part, to remain around the Yeshiva . . . even on the average Shabbos when my friends go to various Shluchim to help out, I stay around home.

I suppose I am growing through not traveling as well . . . again, those who know me personally would be able to tell for sure.

In any event, however much I've changed, one reminder and remainder of the old era, as it were, has remained.

My shoes.



I bought them the beginning of summer Samech Daled (2004).
A pair of Geox shoes, they initially were Shabbos shoes, to be worn on the holy Sabbath day . . .
They were sturdy, but could breath (take a look at their website) the best of both worlds. Air and earth -together for me.
That summer I flew overseas for the first time -to Venice, Italy . . .
That fall I returned to Montreal, and, shoes in hand -err on feat- began my last year of Zal.
When I went to Vilnius that Pesach to help out (If only I knew what I would latter be getting myself into) they were worn.
When the summer of Samech Hei (2005) came around, these shoes had been promoted (or is it demoted) to my weekday shoes.They flew with me, this time on my feet, and not in a suitcase, to Venice for a second summer . . . This time with a trip to Slovenia (Unfortunately, as with rest of my early posts, the Slovenia trip post was deleted) on the side.

When I went to Warsaw, and all that followed after the winter (I wore my boots then) -Holland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Germany, France, Belgium and Italy . . .
Eleven countries in total (That's including Canada and the USA if you're wondering at my math)

In Eleven countries I walked and dance, laughed and cried in these shoes.

Now after such faithful service, I have retired my shoes. They still have some life in them -perhaps next time I do go out into nature, I'll take them along . . .
But life is a cycle, and my old Shabbos shoes now grace my feet on a daily basis.
And on the holy sabbath day I will don my new shoes.





Their slightly pointer then I would have liked . . .
But, I feel, they have more class -more style- then my old shoes.

The cycle moves on.


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