MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: ‘I Got a New Pair of Shoes’

middle grade fictionMIDDLE GRADE FICTION:I Got a New Pair of Shoes”

This middle grade fiction post is about that new pair of shoes you just bought.  I mean, what is it about a new pair of shoes that can make us feel so amazing?   

The minute you lace ‘em up, you feel as if you can run faster and you suddenly forget all about your middle grade fiction fantasies.  

Yes, that cushiony feeling wrapped around your foot even makes you feel taller somehow.  Oh yes, let’s face it…a new pair of shoes can make a person feel down right special.

If a new pair of shoes can make you feel this way, I would like to introduce you to an energy that is ten, twenty, thirty, perhaps one hundred times the power of a new pair of shoes. The amazing energy I am talking about is YOUR THOUGHTS and not your middle grade fiction fantasies of what you think you can’t do.  Most of the time, people engage in daily behavior that simply distracts them from their innermost thoughts.  Our lives are filled with these activities because the thought of being alone and quiet with our thoughts is a frightening place to be.

We are so busy Dancing With The Stars and those American Idols that all we want to do is Survive Big Brother and be the next Top Model or Chef.  Some people Lie To Me by saying life is a Big Bang Theory and an Amazing Race to become a Desperate Housewives on the Jersey Shores.  To them I say those thoughts come from the Criminal Minds of middle grade fiction fantasies.

Somehow, someway, our lives have been defined by what we can buy, which places the power of who we are on the OUTSIDE of who we are.  Instead of asking and answering deep questions that could fix my favorite subject, our educational system, we focus on a new pair of shoes for gratification.

When I get that new job, buy a BMW and move into the right zip code, I will feel better about myself.

You think I’m kidding?  Let’s go back to what happened after 9/11 when then President Geroge W. Bush suggested we go shopping and not worry about anything.  Wow.  My emotions are raw and I feel violated but the sage advice from the man appointed to lead our country was to go shopping?  Something was terribly wrong with this picture, which is why there is no mistake we are in the trouble we are in.

Some people will debate this advice was offered to us to stimulate the economy.  I’m not here to talk about politics for or against good ol’ boy, George W, but to show that this kind of thinking boils down to behavior that distracts you known as middle grade fiction fantasies.  .

So, what’s the fix?  Well, let’s not get crazy and say shopping is bad.  I would never do that, nor would I offer some kind of fast food solution you can pick up by going through the drive through.  No.  This is tough stuff man.  I don’t want anyone to pull a hammy by changing their minds about feeling good about themselves.  Someone out there might try and sue me for false claims and we wouldn’t want that.  I am, however, asking you to consider a new thought; TEACH yourself to experience the joy of a new pair of shoes BEFORE you even go shopping.  Carry around that feeling even when you are barefoot.

This is called living an intention filled life.  When you call forth the feelings that reminds you how amazing you are…right where you are…and WHO YOU ARE, you are living a life by design and NOT as a result of something external.  The power of your life resides inside of YOU because you are good enough, smart enough, tall enough, pretty enough, and WORTHY of living a self-assured life….TODAY.

Watch what happens.  You will feel like you can run faster.  You will feel like you are taller somehow.  Being happy with who you are, where you are and not a result of something outside of who you are, is a powerful tool.  In order for you to feel it, you must use it…everywhere you go, even when you can’t afford to buy a new pair of shoes.  😉

Eric DelaBarre is an award winning filmmaker and the author of Saltwater Taffy.  All rights reserved.  Seven Publishing Copyright October 21, 2010

2 replies
  1. Eric DelaBarre
    Eric DelaBarre says:

    I sure haven’t, but you know I’ll be checking it out today when I head to the Santa Monica library. Thanks for the tip! Love to find new things to read.

    Reply

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