Boots: The Untold Story
You look down at the the guy in line buying a cup of coffee in the morning. You see his dirty, well worn, and rugged looking work boots. To you they may just be some leather stitched together in such a way that they cover feet, but look deeper.
Look at the scars on those boots. The dirt, the grime, the way the laces are chewed up. Those boots tell a story. They tell a story of a man who works hard. A man who provides for his family even when he barely gets to see them. A story about hardship, dragging dirt from one job site to another.
That guy you look down on with the dirty boots and the dirty shirt… he’s on his way to build his community. He helps keep this country running. The essential worker that got snubbed during the pandemic. The person who leaves his family while it’s still dark in the morning and probably won’t return until it’s dark in the evening.
The blue collar life isn’t for everyone. We’re the people keeping your stuff flowing through this country. We’re the guys keeping the lights on so you can sit and watch television after you sit and eat your dinner, that same dinner that was also brought to you by a blue collar worker.
We keep you cool in the summer, or warm in the winter. We keep your water flowing, your roads intact, your bridges from crumbling, your machines and cars running. We have our hands in almost every aspect of your life without you even noticing. Until something goes wrong that is.
Those boots, however disgusting they may look, they keep this country running. Those boots keep you comfortable, safe, and happy. Those boots have more life experience than you and they keep on asking for more.
His work boots tell a story. A story from where they’ve been. The blood, sweat, and tears he’s put in to provide for his family. They tell of the times they’ve been in the dirt working to get that road back together before you wake up and drive below the speed limit in the left lane. A story of how in the middle of a heat wave, they were up on a roof in the mid day sun keeping you cool.
Those work boots tell a story. Are you listening or are you judging?
-Phil