Water Your Worth

“These boots were meant for walking… ” and that’s just what they do!

Summer of 2021, I was in Colombia and found some amazingly well priced military boots that were well made and comfortable. From then on I realized that boots were the way to go. I have been living out of a bag of sorts, suitcase to backpack to suitcase, since the end of 2020 after I gave my car away in Guatemala. Before going to Colombia, I had given away my running shoes to a hostel volunteer mate because she needed them and I just had the slip on shoes which was convenient for weight and comfort but not ideal for long term and lots of walking.

When I got rid of my vehicle I said, “Well, God gave me these long legs for a reason so might as well use them.” and I literally started walking everywhere. While in Costa Rica I got myself some slides to where around and I had my “nice” slip on shoes (they were a form of Tom shoes but were silver haha) and my running sneakers. By the time I got to Colombia I only had the nice shoes and had this big idea of trekking through the jungle and getting to Peru – those plans shifted quite a bit for many reasons but the boots have stayed a staple in my life since then. No, I don’t have the same boots anymore but having boots as my main shoe has. Those particular boots ended up with holes in the bottoms of the rubber all the way through to the insole – yes, I literally walk that much!

Since then I have had two other pairs of boots. The ones I loved the most lasted a good while until the zipper was buckling and not functioning anymore and at the time I just did not have the funds to get it repaired but knew someone else probably would so I gave them to a church fundraiser. I had some sneakers that I had stashed in the bag for emergencies and so used those in the in between time. Then October last year, I had some funds available to get some boots again, I knew I would need the support, warmth and longevity again as we continued our farm work and regular walks through the winter time. Those boots are solid still except for the wearing out in the back of the heel and ankle area, and so I have patched them up a little to keep them going as long as possible.

I love boots because they thoroughly protect the feet and can go with everything while also lasting much longer than other shoes because of their durability. Plus, it makes it a lot easier to have a solid shoe and wear through travels removing some weight from the bags and we are always finding some awesome nature walk or mountain hike at every location we are at.

Sometimes I think to myself how neat it would be share the amount of steps I have taken in a year because it is quite a lot more than most. There have been times that I have walked an hour to a store because we did not have anything nearby the place we were caring for and no car to use. I have gotten so accustomed to having boots that I honestly cannot picture life without them.

Have you gained a new appreciation for boots with this post? Do you all of a sudden want to know what happened with my car and where all I have been? I would love to hear from you and if you happen to feel encouraged to add some financial support, I would greatly appreciate the help. You can do so either on the home page of this blogsite, at givesendgo or buymeacoffee – every little bit is felt and prayed over.

Boots. A worthy addition to life on the road.