Losing A Friend

We've trekked up mountains, through feet of snow, slid down hillsides, racing through mud puddles, and been on countless adventures - it has been a great ride.

Crushingly, my shoes vanished on the voyage from Morocco to Turkey.  Whether they were accidently left in the hotel room or unwillingly removed from my luggage along the way, the fact remains that they are gone!  Yes, I realize they are technically 'just a pair of shoes,' possessing no eternal or lasting value, but to me, they were so much more.  

They were my bright green-mud stained-glorious running shoes.  We had logged hundreds of miles and had just set off on a global adventure, we had so many more countries to conquer!  I was distraught when I discovered they were gone, searching my hotel room in Antalya for hours, checking and re-checking to make sure they hadn't merely been misplaced.  Alas, they were gone.

I realize this may all sound a bit dramatic and I myself was shocked by my initial reaction, but the following morning when I was confiding this unfortunate event to my mentor she said that if it were her she would have cried!  While I had almost come to tears the night before, reason prevented me from doing so.  Instead I prayed that whoever had my shoes now would be blessed and wear them well.  

So what is the big deal about a stinky pair of old worn and well used running shoes?!?!  They were a piece of home.  Something familiar and loved.  At a time when I had given up so much, left so many loved ones behind, having another piece of my life ripped away was just too much!  If I had been back at home, the event would have been unfortunate, but manageable.  Here, in a country that I was already struggling to find my place, it was crippling.