Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Whatever it is we are doing, there are probably other people doing much the same thing. Sometimes we have to look in the dirt to notice their footprints.

My wife and I went “hiking” (walking in the woods) recently in the Shenandoah National Park. The trails were pretty easy to follow – especially if you looked at the footprints in the dirt.

Someone might as well have posted a weather-proof aluminum sign that read: Nike was here. There is was in the dirt – the imprint from the bottom of shoes from other people.

I guess the people who came after me on the trail would read: New Balance was here – as that is the brand of shoe I wear when walking.

This isn’t terrible. People are out walking and enjoying the park (that we pay for with taxes so we might as well enjoy). We wear shoes, and the shoemakers, well they have figured out how to advertise.

Is there a point to this rambling? I think so. There are signs all about us in the woods of other people doing the same that we are doing. There are signs all about us in the fill-in-the-blank of other people doing the same that we are doing. We just have to look at the dirt and read the foot prints.