I may have mentioned before that Mark looooves shoes. And not just in an everyday "Oh, I got a new pair of shoes -- how exciting!" way. No, more like, I can get this child to do anything I want by merely promising him new shoes. (Don't worry, I use my powers for good.)
And that love is not limited to sneakers. This week he was thrilled to start soccer again, because it meant he'd get new cleats.
He was putting on his new cleats, and mentioned offhand how much he adored them. "My cleats are so great!" he told me wistfully, sliding his foot in ever so carefully.
"I'm glad you like them," I said.
"I love them," he corrected. "They are perfect!" And then, just to drive the point home, he said, "Perfect shoes equal a perfect life."
I bit my lip so I wouldn't laugh out loud at that one. I'm sure my mom (and friend Monica) agree with him.
"That's all it takes?" I asked. "A pair of shoes to make you completely happy?"
"Yep," he answered. "That's it. If I have the perfect shoes, my life is perfect."
"Well, that's a pretty easy fix, then," I replied.
"Well, perfect except for one thing..."
"What's that?"
He scrunched up his face. "Well, I still get in trouble." He relayed a story from second grade, when he got a new pair of shoes and was so excited, he couldn't stop tapping them on the floor during class. His teacher stopped him -- more than once -- and called them Mark's "trouble shoes."
But even that wasn't enough to dampen Mark's new-cleat joy. "I won't get in trouble with these," he promised. Then he smiled, and I realized those shoes really did make him feel like life was perfect.
Which I love. Maybe life really is just that simple. Maybe I'm overthinking and overcomplicating it.
And maybe I'll hit the shoe stores this weekend, too...
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