About 2 ½ years ago, I decided to leave the growingly dismal city of Detroit behind for a new small-town life near the beach in sunny South Carolina.
Sitting in a smoke-filled, aromatic coffeeshop while on vacation in Amsterdam last month, thinking about how much I miss the smells, sights and sounds of the city, a simple but significant chorus reverberated through the room: It’s the sound of shoes!
Nobody appreciates shoes like the Dutch: from the wooden variety they are so famous for to the fashionista’s fantasy footwear, they know how to do shoes. Amsterdammers rock cobblestone streets like high-fashion runways!
The coffeeshop-city street soundtrack hit home: if there was one thing I took for granted living in the city, (though I’ve come to realize there are many things) it was the resonant sound of shoes symphonically stomping downtown streets.If you live in any major city across the globe, then perhaps you are already aware of the ever-playing percussion section that exists just outside your window. Perhaps you are a member of the band.
If you’ve ever lived in or spent a substantial amount of time in a city, then maybe you, like me, took for granted and miss the street-stepper symphony just a few strides away at any given time.
Most people do not call into question the power of music, but this is a call to stop and listen to the musical sound of shuffling shoes. Or you can do one better and join the parade!