After not sleeping well for days, I fell into a very deep sleep last night. I had a dream that was still fresh in my mind when I heard my daughter wake up. Normally, I don’t remember dreams so vividly but maybe because I woke up as it was ending, it is still so vibrant in my mind.
I was in a busy place, bikes passing me on a crowded street, noises all around me. It was hazy (foggy maybe?), but there was also cigarette smoke in the air. Someone was yelling for a taxi, while another person was laughing on a bench.
I saw a mother holding a small child’s hand and they went into a store. I followed them for some reason through a large, heavy wooden door, ornately carved. It was dark mahogany and the carvings were all floral.
After I passed through the door, I found myself in a sunny room. The sunshine was almost blinding, but I felt calm. As I turned to look for the mother and child, I saw a table filled with red shoes. They were for sale and on clearance, actually, now that I think about it. There were red espadrilles, red clogs, red ballerina flats, red sneakers, and red boots. Every shoe was red. I reached for a pair of the red espadrilles, and an older, white-haired woman said to me, “those would look good on you.” I smiled and she smiled.
And this is when I heard Maggie’s voice in the hallway. And I woke up. But this dream sat with me all morning and in between classes at school, I looked up the symbolism of red shoes. I know that red can symbolize many things and I was curious what the shoes added. I read many different accounts but red shoes seem to symbolize power of identity and fire of spirit.
Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz was mentioned (along with others), with her red and sparkly shoes (which I know were only red in the movie). And when I read the meaning behind red shoes, it make perfect sense. Dorothy follows the yellow brick road to the Emerald City, in her red shoes, with her friends. On the way, she meets many people who try to thwart her journey, but she is persistent in finding her way. She walks in her red shoes, learning about herself and ultimately finding out that home is right in her heart.
And isn’t that all any of us do? We walk our path of life and many obstacles appear but we keep walking. If we’re lucky, we have loyal friends and family members to walk with on our paths. And all the while, home is right in our hearts.
I followed a mother and child into that store in my dream because that’s what home means to me: holding the hand of my child. That part of my dream was easy for me to understand. And by holding their hands, I’m finding my way on this road of life.
Thank you Mothering the divide with me, on this road I’m on. I’m simply in awe of this support for my writing here on the page. Thank you.
I’m in red shoes today in honor of my dream. Now that I know they symbolize the power of identity, I’ll be wearing them even more. Walking with you with fire in my spirit, holding the hands of my small children as I do. Join me? Let’s start a red shoe revolution.