SOL2015 March 29 Focus on Feet


Feet are pretty darn weird things I‘ve decided. This morning I was staring down at my two, as I was pulling on my socks and shoes prior to my ritual brisk morning walk.  Toes of different length and dimension greeted me. They appear like pathetic members of a family.  A somewhat ugly family, I've decided. Tapering in size from biggest to smallest. Each one of them has its own distinct characteristics.  The big toe is hard to miss. It really dominates the foot. I wonder if the other toes resent it's preposterous size advantage? In my particular case, I have two toes I would describe as shy.  Yes, that's right, shy. They appear to be trying to hide behind other toes. 

Toes are quite individual. Even the way the nail grows on each toe makes it a little different from its fellow toes. -And yet, despite their individuality, collectively they do us proud.

We do incredibly cruel things to our little pinkies. We house them in socks for hours at a stretch and then cram them into the darkened recesses of often ill fitting shoes.  Such are the dictates of fashion.  It is hardly surprising they ache and stink when we eventually release them from their dingy daytime dungeons.

I am aware that walking is the best exercise we can give our feet. Improved circulation and weight loss have direct benefits for our beleaguered extremities. Each day when I look down at them, they hardly look impressed at the prospect of more exercise.

I read recently that one quarter of the bones in the human body are in our feet. That’s an impressive statistic. Feet are therefore quite intricate structures. Marvellous in fact.  I am also aware that my feet are slightly above average size, but then again they do a lot of great support work for my entire body, so I am going to look at my feet a little differently in the future. Feet may be bone ugly things, but they do great work every single day.

Comments

  1. Anonymous29 March 2015 at 23:40

    Interesting topic and perspective. I enjoyed it. It's worth taking a look at the things we take for granted and appreciating the work they do!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Melanie Meehan29 March 2015 at 23:47

    Ha! You have to read Larkin's (who is my daughter) post about feet! https://lalalalark.wordpress.com/2015/03/26/26-of-31/ The two of you were on a similar wavelength. Love the insights about toes and individuality. I'm thinking picture book?

    ReplyDelete
  3. elsie30 March 2015 at 00:33

    Insightful thoughts with a bit of alliteration thrown into the mix to make this a delightful read although the topic may be deemed unworthy of such perusing. Oh those bones who do so much work without praise!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lynn30 March 2015 at 00:37

    Great slice! I never ever really thought about my "feet family". LOL. I have a feeling this slice will be in my head each time I look at them now! Not sure if a thank you is in order :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tara30 March 2015 at 05:07

    I try not to think about my feet, which seem to exist in a perpetual state of disrepair. But, I am looking forward to removing woolen socks, at long last, when our dreadful winter finally comes to a close. Did not know about the number of bones in our feet - that earns my respect!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Joanne30 March 2015 at 05:11

    Wow! That is a lot of bones. I love this discussion of feet.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous30 March 2015 at 09:43

    Immediately came here after seeing your comment-- and I'd have to agree with you. Although feet are quite ugly and I really don't care to think much about them, they do a lot for us. I'll be happy to give them a nice, long break from their "dingy daytime dungeons" as the weather gets warmer and toe-crunching boots are no longer necessary!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular With Other Visitors

Writing Opposite Poems

Image
 O pp o s ite  P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not every thing has a
Read more

Writing About Reading - Reading Reflection Journals:

Image
UPDATED February 2022 Writing in response to literature can be a great way for students to organize their thoughts, explore what they think, and generate ideas. One of the strengths of writing in journals is that it allows students to capture all of those great ideas that generally float off into the air during the discussion.  Journal writing can also become drudgery if students are asked to write too often, given little choice or inspiration in what to write, or if they simply don't have anything to say. While some students eagerly share their impressions about selections they have read in class discussions, others are less comfortable and keep their thoughts to themselves. In an effort to encourage all students to think more about what they read and confidently share their observations and opinions, some teachers are turning to the reading reflection journal and are gaining insights they never anticipated.  The Value of Reflection Journals   Journals assist teachers to gain i
Read more

Learning How to 'Zoom In' When Writing

Image
It is important for young writers to understand that not all parts of a story are equal. There are parts through which a writer moves quickly, and important parts where the writer slows down and lingers a while. This is where the writer might intensify the action or reveal the character’s reactions in greater detail. Young writers need to know that this is a deliberate strategy on the part of the author. The author consciously zooms in. The writer uses a magnifying glass to view a part of the story more closely; to focus on a moment and to slow down time. When an important part of the story is enlarged upon, it   is a signal to the reader, that this part of the story is important. The strategy of ‘zooming in’ goes by many names: ‘exploding a moment’ ‘magnifying a moment’, ‘hotspot’ ‘snapshot’, ‘adding detail’ or ‘slowing the action.’  What ever the name, the idea is the same. The author writes in a way that expands a significant part of the story with the intention of drawing t
Read more

Answering Questions Posed by Young POETS

Image
UPDATED, May 2020 As a frequent visitor to schools I have the great pleasure of working with groups of young, enthusiastic poets and their teachers. When I arrive in a classroom, young poets are often pre-loaded with questions, and most keen to have them answered.  I try to answer as many as I can, but we frequently run out of time, and the poetry caravan moves on to the next classroom. So I am here to answer some of those questions -right here, right now. So here goes: When you were little did you love writing? The short answer is yes. I have always enjoyed words and language. I can't recall a time when I wasn't doing some kind of writing. When did you write your first poetry book? I have had poems published over the years, but it wasn't until 2014 that I had an entire book of poems (an anthology) published. When I looked back through all my notebooks I realized I had hundreds of poems from which to choose. So, 'Searching For Hen's Teeth-Poetry From The
Read more

Slice Of Life Story-The Trials Of A Left Handed Writer

Image
Amazingly I learnt to write using my left hand. An achievement against the prevailing beliefs of the day. My very first teacher saw it as her mission in life to ‘fix’ the poor, wretched little boy suffering from what she clearly diagnosed as left handed disease. She must have thought, 'This child must be re formatted! If he remains left handed he will be forever condemned to writing in a scrawl that no one will be able to read. Ugly hand, ugly hand.' ...They tried to say it couldn't be done, it mustn't be done. They took the pencil out of my left hand and placed it in my right hand. It felt unnatural. It felt weird. It was not right. More to the point it was not left. I was not about to conform. At least they didn't try tying my hand behind my back. Watch me I said. I may be an oddball, left handed scribbler but I am a determined oddball. I mean how boring would the world be if everyone wrote with their right hand? So I dug my toes in –and my hands to
Read more