Staring at Our Shoes

The strange title of this inspirational piece is the same title for a brief essay I read in a periodical I routinely check out.  Like you, I had no idea what this author, Verla Wallace, wanted to tell me.  I did not know this author, so I did a quick check to see who she is.  I found out Wallace is a business woman, journalist and broadcaster in the Chicago area.  Because I found the title of the essay so intriguing, I jumped into reading it. 

She opens the essay by citing the Irish author, Cormac McCarthy, who apparently says somewhere “that insights spring from the subconscious and require a lot of ‘staring at your shoes.’”  Obviously, I had to read on---just as you have to read on.  Wallace begins to share her own view of what McCarthy means.  She says, “I don't think he literally meant we must stare stupidly at our shoes, waiting for something magical to happen.  I suspect it was his way of saying we need to stop and give our minds some breathing room and often answers will come.”  I knew I was hooked to read to the end.   

I am intrigued how humans do generate insight.  Most of us see in the literal sense.  But we don’t often get insight.  How do we learn to “see into” something deeply enough to gain some deeper meaning or a sense of how do we create something or tweak something in a good way?  I am sure McCarthy is correct and Wallace interprets rightly when we realize we do need to stop.  We need to provide some breathing room for our minds.  I know urgency and busyness can be damaging to the spiritual life. 

Wallace is exactly right when she reminds us that “we're not machines.  Our minds don't do their best work at the speed of the technology that surrounds us.”  I am pretty sure of a number of things when it comes to spiritual development and insight.  We usually get there deliberately.  To be practicing deliberately typically means some form of discipline.  Insight may come in what seems like the speed of light.  But more likely than not, the insight comes quickly only after some significant period of preparation and waiting.   

In our race through life, we need to slow down and stare at our shoes.  In fact, there are times we need to stop and, maybe, sit for a spell.  Body and mind need time to unwind and unhook.  I liked the point Wallace makes when she claimed we are not machines.  Most of us are so technologically hooked, we deceive ourselves when we say we are open and willing for God to step into our lives. 

In her essay Wallace becomes personal.  She laments that recently she had a nasty fall, as she puts it.  She automatically slowed down her life.  She now had time to pay attention.  Countless times I have told students the rich spiritual life presupposes and level of awareness and a willingness to pay attention.  We know we wear shoes.  What we don’t realize is we can spend some time staring at our shoes and insight will come.  Instead most of us put the shoes on and walk (or run) away from any insight that might come our way. 

Wallace lists some of the insights that came to her during her period of staring at her shoes.  She says, action does not always produce more results than standing still.”  This must be spiritual, because it sounds so countercultural and maybe anti-American.  We are doers.  People’s worth and value is typically tied up with what we do.  That is why it is hard for older people, sicker people and other marginal people.  They either do nothing or do things that don’t impress.   

Another one of her insights I like was “sometimes more is just more, not better. Know when to stop.”  This is spiritual counsel I can routinely use.  Know when to stop.  It sounds so simple, but too many of us keep our foot on the gas pedal of life.  If we are not living at the speed limit for life, we are slackers and certainly worth less than we could be.  To become worth less is a journey to being worthless!  Instead of stopping, we get scared and push the pedal even harder.   

I recognize Wallace and I share some faith positions.  Therefore it makes sense when she suggests, “Make a commitment to spend more time staring at your shoes. God might change your perspective in unexpected ways and deploy you in a whole new direction — one with fresh ideas and solutions that will benefit all of us.”  I am sure she is correct that we need to choose to begin this process.  Beginning should lead to some kind of commitment. 

We commit to spending more time staring at our shoes.  This might come in the form of prayer or meditation.  I don’t know whether my loafers will teach me more or different things than my Nike shoes.  Maybe the trick is there is no trick!  In fact, I suspect we don’t even need shoes.  Socks on our feet or even bare feet will provide the same potentiality for insight.  I think God is waiting in the spaces of our lives to be with us, speak with us and go with us on our journey. 

I want and will do this.