staying grounded

i wear the same shoes about 340 out of 365 days a year. i like them. they are black loafers that work fine with jeans or dress pants. they do look bad with shorts... so i do sandals on those days. the obvious benefits of this practice are 1. less money spent on shoes, 2. more room in my closet (though i am sure the point of a closet is not so much roominess as usefulness). my soul enjoys a benefit of being a uni-soled individual, that i had not expected... opportunities for integrity. i don't know about you, but even the practice of wearing a different kind of clothing when i step onto the church's campus, creates a stutter for my soul. in intentionally robing differently i tend to connect doxologies, prayers, and theology-speak to that wardrobe (and that place). segmenting my wardrobe also causes me to segment my spirituality at times. when i had attire set aside for such times, i wonder what it is like to practice the way of jesus in my "non set aside" attire. wearing the same shoes keeps me grounded, literally and figuratively. it reminds me that saying amen to Jesus' call to love my enemies on Sunday in my loafers, means living amen to Jesus' call on Monday in my loafers. same shoes, same life. dont misunderstand. i dont think that footwear is the anwer. in fact, what happens when I go home and remove my shoes...have i become someone different. obviously that's not the point. the point is "what keeps our sunday morning rhythms intricately woven into our "way of being" the other 167 hours of our week? how do we stay "integrated" in a way that sees worship as a response to God inside a sanctuary and inside our office...while singing and while having supper, ...in the midst of pews and in the midst of problems. for now i am wearing my shoes...i think they have another year on them at least. happy new year.