WAITING FOR THE OTHER SHOE TO DROP

This phrase usually has an ominous, dark meaning to it. Medical symptoms have piled up and the physicians are meeting to assess the situation. Your attorney calls to say she'd like to have a meeting with you. The boss calls you into the office unexpectedly. You get it...something very, very bad is about to happen.

But I'm not convinced that dropping shoes should always mean that a disaster is pending. It's just a statement that there are signs that an announcement of something is about to take place. Maybe it's a disaster pending...or maybe something serendipitous is about to take place. The key to this phrase is that you know something is about to happen, and you don't know what it is.

When searching for an on-line photo to accompany this post I saw one of a decorated cake which said "Congratulations on your diabetes diagnosis." I almost selected it, but looking at it gave me a nasty feeling in my gut. Too close to home. I decided to leave that graphic for someone else. But it does symbolize the usual feeling of this phrase, Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Today, up before dawn, looking out darkened windows and seeing nothing, there is a sense of that waiting. There have been a lot of events over the past several weeks that have jolted me. Tiger Woods/ the Christmas Day near-disaster over Detroit/ Chris Dodd's announcement that he is retiring from the Senate/ the Patriots loss on Sunday/ and the announcement that former Mayor of Providence, Vincent (Buddy) Cianci is considering running against Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Each of them (and more) came out of nowhere and caused me to shudder a little...or a lot.

At the same time, the weather report indicates several days in a row of sunshine, with temperatures "soaring" into the 40's! My daughter received a very promising message about a project she's pursuing. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has kept up a steady climb over the past days. The car wash returned my car looking like it did the day we bought it after being buried in winter grime. We have an invitation to a Syracuse game at the Dome. And, there is confidence that a Health Care bill will pass before the State of the Union address. (Probably not the one I would like, but nevertheless an historic step forward for the Administration.) Former Rep. Harold Ford seems ready to enter the NYS Senate race.(I like him.) Less than a month to the opening of the Olympics.

And...best of all...each day gets a few minutes longer...a sign that Spring is on its way.

So what will the shoe drop signal? Who knows? Will it be a Nike or a Prada? I'm putting my money on the Prada.


Photo Credit: http://danoday.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ShoeDropping.jpg