I'd like to take you on a little bit of an adventure, only a small one to start with. I hope to take you away to another part of the world. I have arrived in Ireland, to live in Dublin, study at their best university, breath the Irish air, take a sip of Irish beer and walk through Irish hills and ruins. I hope to delve into some travel writing as well as other bits and pieces over the next 6 months.
Now block out the annoyance of the world and I welcome you to another realm...
You walk through the frail emerald mahogany door into a vintage emporium. It is a tiny second hand shop that has the dusty aroma that clings to old books and the earthy spices attached to leather. These books are filled with many stories, so many in fact the pages cough conversations and observations. Yet beyond the endless rows of romance, classics and fishing volumes, these are not what catch your gaze.
You find to your right, perched upon a copper singer sewing machine, a pair of brown boots. They are stained from the rain and mud. The grips on the bottom have started to wear out and the laces have tassels upon tassels. Lift them to eye level. Aren't they wonderful?
Now may you take them home for a generous price of $27.00. The older lady has wrapped them in parchment paper. You take them home without even trying them on, convincing yourself that even if they don't fit they'll look good on display.
Let's wear them. Your right foot fits perfectly, snug and warm like a cup of tea on a crisp morning. Yet something is stopping your left foot. It scrunches against your toes.
A note. Iron out those crinkles with your dewy finger tips. As you unfold the edges you see that it has been inked with these words;
'To the next wanderlust traveller,
These boots of mine are bruised and used,
they have trodden through great lands,
that are filled to the brim with great tales,
of lands with gruesome pasts and promising futures,
with people that speak in different tongues,
those that who are ancient and young,
ones with one god and many.
They have danced with people from forests
upon cobblestone streets and in a snowy haze.
Through sand dunes of the East and the quagmires of the West,
and at the end of the day are always hung up to dry.
They have known many sights, sounds, smells,
if you ask them nicely they may share them with you...'
Now reader, instead of simply listening to the tales, go and live them! Be the person who has worn these boots. Wear them until the sole is falling out and the laces have unravelled. Stay in touch for the next edition which will be hopefully of my tales around Ireland...
*photos are not my own.
