If you look under my bed, you will find a reminder. It's a reminder of when times were hard, and I wasn't as strong as I am today. This reminder is a pair of tattered, worn, and dirty work boots.
These boots have seen action. They've graced the floors of many factories. They even got me through one job where my role was to pick through literal garbage for wire that was recycled into precious metals. Not only did I have to pick through garbage, but my coworkers were men only let out of jail during the week to work this job (and no, I wasn't incarcerated with them).
On several occasions, I've tried to throw these boots out. I have almost no need for them now. I work in a cushy insurance job where I sip on free coffee all day. I'm also a minimalist, and own few possessions. I've given away more useful items than a grungy pair of work boots. Why can't I throw them away?
I can't throw these boots away, because they remind me to never become complacent. Hard times might be ahead. Actually, fuck that. Hard times are ahead. Something is coming down the pipe that will challenge me and set me back. These hard times could set me back so far that I might need these boots again.
We often rest on our laurels. A sense of invincibility can envelope us and lull us into a false sense of security. No wonder the average person is surprised when tragedy strikes. We've developed a self-imposed delusion that bad things only happen to other people. Somehow, we come to believe that we alone are exempt from the capricious nature of the universe. We become complacent and think that our position in life is untouchable. We all need a reminder from time-to-time to wake us up to the reality of the world. No, you needn't sleep with one eye open, but you should develop the wisdom to see that the good times can be precious and fleeting.
I don't even need to tell you my full life story for you to recognize that I've clawed my way out of a hole. To go from picking through trash with convicts to working in the professional world was a difficult climb. And if I am truthful with you, some days I still can't believe I turned it around.
However, through no fault of my own, my luck could dry up tomorrow. I could lose my job. I could have my finances ruined through identity theft. I could have to work another job to support someone I love that falls ill. Anything could happen.
But if any of those misfortunes were to be visited upon me, I know exactly what I'd do.
I'd take those boots out from under my bed, and simply begin again.
Today, I am lucky enough to be putting on a pair of leather loafers instead.
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