The OCD boyfriend does it. His Aspie cousin does it, and possibly her controlling boss does it. When removing their shoes, they are lined up and placed carefully in pairs.
What a waste of time!
The interesting thing is, the entire ‘Economic Miracle’ nation of Japan does it too. Much of the time, anyway.
Here are some possible reasons why:
Micro-meditation
Its three seconds of being in the moment. Three seconds of relief from having your psyche bossed around by projections, rushing and mind chatter. For this small moment, you are the boss, bringing order to chaos, and succeeding.
Ahh.
Announcing you have Margin
Its three seconds of luxury. Its a conspicuous carefulness, that helps you attract and keep allies. Setting yourself up so you always have time up your sleeve makes you great to be around. Having room for error and the resources to clean up your mistakes makes you attractive to desirable collaborators. When you walk into a Japanese gathering, the entrance hall shoes announce the state of mind of the people you are about to meet.
A Gift to your Future Self
Shoes are lined up, and turned back outwards. When departure time comes around, you slip into them and depart, in one smooth action. Its another micro-moment of gratitude your future-self has for the generosity of your past self, and the love affair deepens.
If you just got excited about a new vision for your shoe life, I’d love to see the ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos, hear the stories.
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Cecilia has moved back to Melbourne!
Almost.
She now lives at Permaculture Paradise in Gardenfarm, Gippsland, and visits the big cities to do declutter and Lean consulting, setting up constructive cultures at homes and workplaces. If you have areas of life that aren't working, contact her. She hosts volunteer helpers at the farm, and especially needs copywriters, photographers, and event managers these days.
Aligned shoe abilities a bonus.