Put My Feet Up for a While

 

I have a footstool that has been in my house for more than 15 years. 

 

It helps me to remember to pause and put my feet up for a while when I can. 

 

When I can, that is the part that I need to remember to do and is what this small piece of furniture also helps me to do. 

 

It is who it came from that adds to the reminder for me. 

 

This footstool has a few stories made up about it and that is what adds to the charm of it for me. 

 

Are we ready for the stories that I have told? 

 

This came to me after I had seen it in my grandma’s home for decades on the occasional visits, I was able to make to see her.  

 

The visits were sporadic because she lived about 10 hours away if we drove and that was the main way to get that at the time. 

 

A road trip was good as a few of us would load up, share a hotel room and a bag of food while going over a mountain and through the woods to see this grandma. 

 

When we finally got to her house, it was time to lighten the load, check out the pot of day-old black coffee that was always on and try the chips on the table. 

It was time to put up my feet for a while.

Only then was it time to put my feet up for a while. Taking time to listen to the old stories and play with her dog. 

 

There were times when the visit lasted only minutes and then grandma would want to be done with the chatting. 

 

This is when someone would start to talk about when she was younger and had first come to meet grandpa. Wasn’t it because he was a cowboy? 

 

Then the memories would come again and there would be more time spent relaxing. 

 

Here is what I found on a few of those rare visits. 

 

Grandma liked to have a few things looked at when you were at her home.

Perhaps it was to notice this very footstool while her feet were up for a while. 

 

Or to look at the pictures that other cousins had sent. It could be the pictures that were tucked carefully around a large mirror over her dresser. 

Sit on the porch and watch the bees buzz around her small yellow flowers in the front yard. 

Mostly it was being still and letting her be the one.

Mostly it was being still and letting her be the one to determine the pace and what was discussed or not what was discussed. 

 

It seemed that when my feet were up for a while that I was able to pause with others in the house and listen to what was being said through both actions and words. 

 

One time, we took our son to see this grandma when he was only a few months old. Before we knew what was coming around the corner and that we had a bee. The road trip went smoothly, and we arrived to say hello at the house. 

 

It must have been about bedtime because he was tired. Grandma leaned forward and tried to soothe him in a soft voice while I wondered how to bring the quiet back to her home. 

 

She quickly looked at me and waved off my concern with her signature flip of the hand. Not to worry, that memory brings back to me now. 

How many times had she seen a tired baby over her many decades of living? 

 

Too many times to count? Yes, that is the most likely answer that I have in my stories.

 

Perhaps she had learned that when you put your feet up for a while then you are able to lean forward and bring comfort to someone, even a very small baby, when it is needed. 

 

My heart remembers this moment as clearly as if I am seeing it now. It makes it flutter with gratitude as I shimmer between time.

 

Our son did find calm that day along with a long nap and some food. 

Wouldn’t that be joyfully incredible if we all remembered to do those two things? 

 

Nap and food. M’hm. 

A pretty good place to start each time.

 

Now, here is where I am.

My feet are the ones that rest up on it today.

You can see that my feet are the ones that rest up on it today. 

It is not always the case. 

 

In fact, I never have my feet on this little piece of furniture. 

I will tell you it felt like I was traveling back into my grandma’s home and feeling her heel print tell me where to go next. 

It was a lovely moment. 

 

I use this as my centering space in our home. 

 

Where I place decorations and gadgets galore.

There are times in the year that it is a holding space for one item. 

 

Other times it is surrounded by art, ribbons and joyful flow. 

 

This base of resilience has that permanent heal impression from the grandma who knew when to lean back.

To put up her feet up for a while and when to come forward in life with her full strength. 

 

I see this and feel whisperings of her tenacity to find the cowboy she dreamt about, which she did! 

 

To keep going after life twisted along, twice. 

 

Find small pleasures while sitting on her porch. 

 

There is more that I can see and create with this footstool that helps me to know when to put my feet up for a while, when to lean into life and wonder what am I going to do?