“There’s something about beaten-up Nikes,” I said to my friend, Nick Ambio.
He had chuckled at my mention of how I enjoyed that the hoodie I was wearing had the statement “Take care of urself” on it alongside a paragraph about self-care while my shoes — a pair of beaten-up old Nikes — were literally held together by a thread.
We often overlook anything that could bring us peace of mind. We fail to romanticize anything anymore — everything today feels like a means to an end. Rarely do I hear someone say that something keeps them grounded. We, as a society, have traded sentimental value and romanticization for materialism. Everything is comparative now, and that I simply reject.
Throughout my time in Starkville, I have learned how valuable it can be to take a moment to appreciate the smallest of details throughout each day.
I was given these Nikes while shopping with my mom prior to my 21st birthday. It was her gift to me that year that we would buy some clothes and a pair of gym shoes for me.
After spending a year with these as my gym shoes, it was evident that the left shoe did not have much use left in it, as the front end was held to the bottom by a singular thread. I got new gym shoes.
What becomes of the old ones, however?
I wear them to the bars and when I bartend. I will be hurt when the thread gives out, but it has not yet.
For a year, every time I put them on, it was in a reluctant fashion, only doing so to then go to the gym and have them hold the cumulative weight of my own attempts at self-betterment.
They served in this role until they could not. The thread that holds them together has done this for 7 months now, with every time I wear them possibly being the last. I continue to wear them as they keep me grounded, a constant reminder of how far I have come.
Romanticizing the little things entails allowing certain activities or items to have more meaning than they inherently do. By paying attention to detail and allowing yourself to romanticize things that may seem insignificant to others, we can give ourselves peace we otherwise would not have.
Robert Greene, writer of the infamous “The 48 Laws of Power” has been known to wear a green button-down shirt in public appearances that has visible stitching over the chest. When Greene had a stroke, the shirt was ripped off of him and now he wears it as a reminder of the gift of life.
Joe Montana in Super Bowl XXIII took the field with three minutes remaining and the opportunity to drive down and win the game at his fingertips. While in the huddle, Montana was awaiting the end of a TV timeout. Montana took in the moment.
“Hey look, it’s John Candy,” Montana said.
His teammates proceeded to look at the far end zone, noted the Hollywood star, and in their newly relaxed state, made history by winning the game as time waned.
The idea of romanticizing the small things is one that holds within reminders that the moment you are standing in is one of millions that you are going to live through. Nothing is ever as bad as it may seem, and romanticizing moments and things can give extreme perspective.
To laugh while crying is to accept, to a certain extent, that not all is lost and that it will be okay. Romanticizing small things in life is the same. It can give the perspective that even though all seems lost and the end of the world is at your doorstep, the thread holding your shoes together remains intact, and so will you.
