A Summary of Shoes

Well...the journey is well underway! 

One more night in Iceland, then Norway, here I come! We have found ourselves completely immersed in the culture and pace of Scandinavian life~it’s so wonderfully relaxed, laid back, and a totally fresh perspective on manner of living. Surrounded by beauty, a multitude of accents, languages, nationalities, we’ve discovered that there is absolutely no hiding our American status. Multiple times we’ve had Icelanders wave at us from their front stoops accompanied with a greeting of “Welcome to Reyjavik, Americans!” or “Hello tourists!” Granted, when we’re traveling in a group of ten rather conspicuous individuals (wearing jeans and speaking English with our Minnesooota accents) who ask directions often and are wide-eyed….we stick out a bit!

Prior to leaving, I spoke a lot about shedding the labels that define me at Concordia, in Moorhead, in America: dance instructor, youth director, religion & environmental studies major, overachiever, girly girl, Sunday Night @ East (Concordia) co-coordinator, Lutheran chick, type A, silly silly silly, fun loving, coffee addict, shoe lover…and the list goes on. Here in Europe however, I have nothing like that to define me. Instead my labels include: American, white, educated, woman. And that’s it. People here-including my fellow travelers (who are WONDERFUL, by the way)-have no idea who I am. And that, dear friends, is slightly terrifying. For a girl who is so relational, who loves people, who spends so much time with loved ones…I have no idea what it’s like to be without an established group of people in the world. And yet, here I am, three days into this adventure & the ten of us Concordia-Luther students have clicked right away (save for the first few awkward early morning hours where we were just feeling it out…but that’s the start of every large group excursion, is it not?). Now that I’m in motion, now that I’m on the journey, I’m beyond excited. The prospect of making Lillehammer home for the next three months is not longer such a foreign concept to me. Granted, there are people I miss already~dear friends, coworkers, the wonderful people at Trinity, family, dance students~but I know that love is surrounding me from across the world…and I’m sending it right back!

Now, many of you are well aware of the fact that I am a shoe addict with little feet. Thus, being a part of the inspiration for the title of this first post. As said shoe addict, I had an extremely difficult time abandoning some of my shoes for the next three months while packing for this grand adventure. Kissed the high heels, the fancy boots, the chacos goodbye for a bit and went to simple, practical flats. Now, most of you know I love my heels-the less practical & the sparklier the better! I dance around with these goofy, beautiful, stupid shoes in all terrains, weather & situations~vertical confidence, you know!? Anyway, lets use the leaving behind of shoes as a metaphor for this insane & wonderful adventure I've gotten myself in & all I've left behind:

I'm a person who craves and thrives on deep relationships. I prefer small groups of dear friends over large social situations, I love coffee dates filled with conversations about anything, everything & absolutely nothing. I talk a lot~if you know me well. But if you don't, I have a tendency to be shy, a little quirky & quite a bit reserved than my true bubbly nature typically allows. All of you people-my friends, family, Trinity coworkers & youth, dancers, mentors, professors-are those goofy shoes I had to leave behind, leaving me with a far depleted resource of utterly practical shoes in the form of me. 

Just me.

Yikes.

These next few months, it's just me. I don't know what it means to be just Laura, without all of my jobs and classes and friends, without a constant to-do list, without a full and chaotic schedule. What does that girl look like? What if I don't like those shoes that sum up who I am~I haven't worn them in a loooonnnnggg time, after all. In fact, I don't think it's ever been just me. These shoes are going to take some breaking in, some getting used to, some adjustment & acclimation to this new "style." I'm nervous, excited, worried...and I'm thankful that it's a temporary hiatus from my large supply of goofy, supportive, stylish shoes that are my loved ones at Concordia, in Esko, at Trinity, at camp....those beautiful people in my life that are each of you.

This is a big step. Thanks for your love & prayers dear friends

Miss you, love you & am thinking of you much as I continue on this journey~breaking in the new shoes!

Peace~L.