A Mile in My Shoes

The best way to get to know the place you are traveling in is to walk around... and the best way to walk around is with comfortable shoes! Grab your travel buddy and your running shoes and go explore!

Laura Marano

And that's what I did! I traveled through Scotland, high and low and to and fro! Valleys, villages, brooks and streams seemed to appear from nowhere. Castles galore and museums to see, a trip of a lifetime was more than I dreamed. Now that I'm catching my breath following a whirlwind September and October, I plan to do some posting about traveling Scotland from West to East and many points in between.

But first, this.  I have never spent more time planning and praying over any other travel event in my life than this trip.  Week by week, day by day and often hour by hour you'd find me perusing over websites and photos of some of the most beautiful sites I could ever imagine.  I charted and mapped the miles from stop to stop trying to determine the route that would give us more bang for the buck and best suit our list of wants.  Sometimes I chose well, other times not so much. While the planning and perusing seemed to go on forever, suddenly the day was here.  As you might have guessed, I could talk and talk and talk about the land of my heritage where my heart beats in rhythm to the first strain of the bagpipe wafting over the breeze.  But instead, I'll write a post or two as time allows. 

Before my Bon Voyage, one of the first things I was encouraged to purchase from the travel blogs I followed was a good pair of walking shoes.  I wavered back and forth as to whether or not they needed to be sturdy walking shoes or good tennis shoes for going up and down some rugged hills we might encounter.  What about wet weather? How rigorous were the hills and trails we were going to land on? Choosing should have been easier but I felt very confused by the MILLION shoe options that crossed my path daily.  Finally, I decided.  These shoes were a decent pair from a well-known company whose gear and shoes are sold globally and I had already purchased a great windbreaker/rain jacket from the same manufacturer that I was quite happy with.

Now, If you assumed that I had taken a brand new pair with me, go ahead and buy a lottery ticket, because you'd be right.  But, I had walked in them several times and shoes are now sold as not needing a break in period.  They felt fine and I wore them with some excellent hiking socks I purchased for the same purpose.  In the beginning of our travels we acted like typical tourists and stopped along most sights that caught our attention, walked through sun, rain and wind to soak up local color as a famous redhead visiting Italy did so long ago (bonus points for the reader if you know the actress and episode of which I speak). So, week one was going well with my new shoes.


The second half of our trip took us to another area in my beloved Scotland and we put our roots down and began exploring all the more.  Mind you, we walked the equivalent of 32 miles in our first week and were well on our way the following week when this happened.  Ow.  Big Ow.  After washing this thing thoroughly, I put on a thick coating of antibiotic cream and bandaged it well at night.  In the morning I did the same routine with thick gauze, tape and bandages.  I put my shoes back on in an effort to give it a go and after walking about 300 yards from our temporary abode, I was chased back in pain.  No matter how thick I applied padding and bandages, the shoe backing was just going to continue to dig into that spot.  Arggghhhhhh. 

What was I going to do?  At this point I wasn't interested in spending more money on shoes again, so I pulled out my trustworthy Clarks Shoes. 

Let me tell you about these shoes. But first let me clarify that I never sit like this at my desk at work but wanted a good view of my faithful shoes.  These trusty mules worn for the flight, going out to eat and other local strolls have served me well for years in so many capacities.  The bottoms are now well worn and the toe on top is a bit scruffy from crossing my ankles and tucking my feet under my chair when worn to work.  I believe I've had these shoes for 10 years or close to it. I was first introduced to Clarks Shoes via QVC and will be a faithful fan forever. I walked many miles around Scotland in these shoes; in fact week two we tallied to the equivalency of 26 miles!  I may not have moved as quickly as my travel buddy, but I managed to get to every planned attraction with nary a wince or pain.

Oh, and the point of all this?  Buy a good shoe.  It may be a bit of moola on the output but the long wear you will get is worth every penny! And, someone in Scotland scored a brand new pair of shoes that I left behind as a donation.  Hopefully they are being worn in good health!

A Duet with Dad

In nearly 24 hours from now, a friend and I will be jetting off to a land I love, wandering around the countryside to take in the exhilarating sights and sounds of Scotland.  This isn't my first encounter there, but it is the first trip where I've made all the plans and arrangements on my own.  Yikes!!

In 2014, I was in Scotland with my Dad and 7 of 8 siblings along with a few other family members for our Clan AGM meeting.  Clan history is what tells the tale of families in this beautiful country and Scotland is steeped in amazing stories, castles, inventions, clan wars and uprisings.  

In about 5 weeks, Dad will be 90.  90 years = 32,850 days!  That's equivalent to 788,400 hours if you're counting!  I wanted to be sure I saw Dad before I traveled an ocean away.  He's spent the last 2 weeks in a rehab facility following another health concern that seems to have plagued him for nearly 2 years.  Dad took a hard fall and broke his hip/pelvic in such a way that surgery wasn't an option. Healing through pain was the only thing that was offered. Slowly, he began to heal but was taken down more than once with dehydration, infections, stumbles and heart issues.  Thus, he's in another rehab, drinking antibiotics through his veins and healing from 3 cracked ribs. And, he says, he's just tiring out.  Watching him sleep seems almost painful at times as his breathing isn't always rhythmic of a healthy man.

Tonight we chatted about a host of many things and Dad was chipper throughout.  We conversed about various family members while I shared pictures of the young ones posted on Facebook.  We discussed his upcoming birthday celebration where we will gather in his honor. Dad reminisced about Mom more than once and then with great interest we discussed my journey.  As the conversation of Scotland went on Dad said "Gee, I think you're going to have a wonderful trip and if I weren't in this condition I'd buy a ticket and go with you!" I wish you could, Dad.  We have traveled well together over the past 5 years.

Something came to Dad's mind and suddenly he broke into a song from his youthful years and in the midst said he was going to teach it to me so I could sing it with him.  He mentioned that he used to sing it with his sister Anne and then went back into the chorus, waving his finger as he often did when directing an imaginary chorus and finished with a "boom boom" in a timely staccato finish.  Singing was a huge part of life in our childhood home throughout the years and continued until the last days of my mom and dad's marriage.  I would love to sing with you, Dad!

Wistfully he spoke of Mom again and I shared with Dad a few of our intimate  moments she and I exchanged near the end of her days.   She took her last breath in 2003, but as Dad's days are closing in on him, he seems to be missing Mom all the more. It's been hard to watch this virile man with nary a day in the hospital for 88 years of life, now being bounced from pillar to post as he's growing tired and old.  When I think of Dad in my solitary minutes, a line from Dan Fogelberg's song Leader of The Band comes to mind often which says "The leader of the band is tired and his eyes are growing old".  A somber feeling comes with it.

As I got up to go, I hugged and kissed Dad and he said to me "I may not be here when you get back.  God may call me home".  I agreed and said, "He may also call me home!" 

With a hopeful heart and a melancholy mood, I will go on my adventure believing Dad will be here when I get home as we have a birthday celebration approaching.  And I'm especially looking forward to learning a new duet to sing with my favorite balladeer!