Accepting the Inexplicable

Something that can be hard for me to grasp is that not every situation in life is easily explained. I love to analyze, over-analyze, and essentially shred things to mental pieces trying "to get to the bottom of things." Often, I am able to reach a personally satisfying conclusion. But not always.

For example: I was driving on an on-ramp onto the highway the other day and I saw a loafer on the side of the road. As in a penny loafer. As in a lone shoe.

So I ask the question that is likely at the forefront of everyone's mind: "What is up with random shoes on highways?"

Because, is it me, or are they not ubiquitous?

At least, I feel like I have almost daily sightings of a flip flop here, a sneaker there--all partner-less and in the unlikely locale of lying in the middle of very busy roadways rather than perched on the shoebox containing the inevitable partner in, say, DSW. Since there is not a lot of foot traffic on highways, I deduce that these shoes have not flung off the feet of errant pedestrians. Therefore, I have to imagine that these shoes are escapees from moving automobiles. So then I wonder: "How, exactly, does that happen?"

I mean, do you often see shoes flying out of the windows of the cars ahead of you as you cruise along kareoke-ing to Air Supply? Because I never do.

Something is not adding up.

It is sort of like the socks getting lost in the dryer. But different too. Because the thing is that I can understand HOW a sock goes missing: they are small, they are subject to a lot of tumbling around in the very static environment that is the dryer. The overall likelihood of a single tennis sock sticking to a tee shirt or inside a pillow case is fairly high, statistically speaking (important to note: I am not a statistician). By the way, if your socks do go missing, inside the pillow cases is where I often discover my little runaways. Consider that your freebie golden nugget of the day.

But back to the shoes: Is there some sort of popular road game that involves chucking a shoe belonging to a car-trip companion out onto the highway as some sort of punishment? Like if they lose a round of the license plate game or decide to play a Phish CD on repeat? Have I missed this "road trip rule" somewhere along the line? I am inclined to think so because as a frequent road-tripper, I am otherwise having trouble imagining what the course of events actually is for lone shoes to go sailing out of car windows with some regularity.

But then I think that maybe the shoe sightings are like life in general--incongruous, inexplicable, and just sort of random. Because the truth is that not every situation has an explanation...and many explanations that do exist may not be easily categorizable as acceptable or normal or reasonable.

And if you read my blog, or you have ever engaged in a discussion of any length with me (thank you--on either or both accounts) then you are aware that I am a big believer in every life event having a plausible explanation, even if it is not superficially or initially recognizable. I am someone who puts a lot of stock in life, at the end of the day, "making sense." Generally, I think this way of thinking has served me well.

Sometimes, however, I think it is incredibly valuable to be reminded that not everything does make sense, that not everything has a reason, and that life is full of random situations that might boggle me to till the day I die. Why my dog eats horse manure is one. Where Lady Gaga shops is another. Lone shoes on the highway is now an addition to the list.

And, lately, I have been going through some experiences with people in my life where their behavior has surprised me. And the fact that it has surprised me, surprises me. (Sorry, did I lose you?) But then I revert to my innate way of thinking that people must do things for reasons, and so I convince myself that if I exercise enough compassion, or if I spend enough time trying to figure the situation out, the reasons will emerge. I can then let out a sigh of relief, knowing that it all "makes sense."

My thoughts on life have been recently challenged through some of my personal relationships though, and I am starting to accept that people may surprise me forever. That there will be times when an explantion will not emerge, no matter how much time or effort I devote to "getting to the bottom of things." I am not living in another's head or body, and though I may fancy myself a faux therapist, but I am really only just me; I only have my perspective, my role to play, and my life to live. So it might be worthwhile to take some of those inexplicable situations and simply shelve them as that: inexplicable. And carry on, devoting the analytical energy I seem to have in abundance to more "solveable problems."

So there you have it: there are random shoes on highways, and I have no idea why. End of story.