The following story is true. We have lived it a billion times over.
A baby smiles at his mother and she reaches down to tie his shoe laces for him. He has no idea of what a shoe is or why the lace must be tied. He is simply happy to see his mother.
A child asks to go outside to play. His mother makes sure he is wearing shoes and sees they are untied. She bends over to tie the laces.
A child dresses for school and kneels down to tie his shoe laces. He goes to school and while running on the playground feels something odd under his feet. He looks down and sees his laces untied. He kneels down to tie them.
A teenager joins a basketball game. He runs around the court and loses a shoe. His friends laugh at him as he retrieves his shoe and ties the lace with a double knot.
A college student goes shoe shopping and he sees velcro shoes for sale. He realizes they are running shoes and buys a pair. He finds them so comfortable he wears velcro shoes everywhere.
A young man goes on a job interview. He dresses in a suit and leather shoes. He kneels down to tie his shoe laces and realizes they feel strange.
A businessman travels overseas. He passes through airport security and is asked to remove his shoes. He kneels down and takes them off quickly. After being scanned he quickly slips back into the shoes, making sure the knots are tight.
A man in his 30s looks at his children playing together. They are wearing velcro shoes. He cannot remember ever tying their laces for them. He asks his wife when she last tied a kid's shoes. She looks at him like he is from another world.
A man in his 40s takes his son shopping for a suit. They find leather shoes to match the suit. The son wants to buy loafers. Dad has to explain what proper business attire looks like and persuades his son to buy lace shoes. The salesman ties the shoes for the young man quickly and firmly. After his first job interview the son tells the father his new boss wears loafers.
A grandfather babysits his son's infant daughter. She is wearing a lacy dress and baby booties. One of the laces is untied. He reaches down and ties it. He loves his daughter-in-law more than ever before.
It's not really about shoe laces. It's about those moments that make a life memorable, even if we don't understand why.
