Inner Peace

"I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet"

Today I got to break in my new "Cleto Reyes" sparring gloves in an actual 'round robin' sparring session.  New gloves were needed because I had smashed the snot out of my old "Ringside" leather gloves.  I was sad to see my classic ring gloves go, but it was getting unsafe to hit others with a cloud of pulverized padding exploding from inside each time I connected a punch with my opponent.  The new gloves smelled like babied leather and held up really well like they were custom made just for me.


After boxing, I decided to treat myself to a cheeseburger and curly fries from 'Dan's Hamburgers'.  It's a local fast food chain here in Austin that I believe is a step above Whataburger (a semi national Texas born fast food restaurant).   Being a smaller chain, Dan's Burgers are located in older neighborhoods in ancient buildings.  I stumbled into discovering Dan's after a friend helped me move from Dallas to Austin after which we searched for a good place to have lunch.  It was just a few miles down the road from my apartment.

I remember rewarding myself (every now and then) with a trip to Whataburger in the past, but started favoring Dan's somewhere along the way (I doubt Whataburger is jealous).  It became one of the reasons that I love living in Austin.  Whenever I had been away for a long time or knew that I would be soon going, I would often stop by the restaurants nearby that I'd come to love.  (Wingzup is another local favorite).

Today while having lunch, a poor elderly black man without hands had walked in wearing the shiniest red tuxedo shoes.  It was hard to tell if he was impoverished or simply possessed a unique sense of fashion.  He sat down at the booth across from me.  I saw how he used both of his arms to manipulate the straw into his cup and use the ends of his wrists and undeveloped nubs to squeeze the ketchup.  He deftly ate his food with ease.  He was older and possessed a deep sense of dignity as he carried himself with pride.  I finished my fries and set out without staring too much to head home, shower, reflect, and write...

"I wept because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet"

This phrase which has been credited to many wise authors through time was burning in my mind.  I laid in bed to recover from my aching neck and to reflect on this thought.  In boxing, hands are like feet, and gloves are like shoes.  I proudly sported my new gloves uttering the phrase "ain't nothing like new shoes" as fellow boxers and coaches welcomed the metaphor.

I think when I find myself getting down from the worries of the world, I have to remember to take stock of how blessed my life truly is.  I am so fortunate to love and be loved by so many.  I get to live a dream life!  Gratitude replaces the negative feelings and frees me from my state of mind.  The Lord works in mysterious ways and the people he sends my way are reminders of His presence and Love for Us ALL.