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A young man returns from serving a two-year church mission in an impoverished region of South America. He opens the front door of the home he grew up in, removes his shoes and is met with the soft feel of carpet under his feet — something he hadn’t felt since he left the United States.
He kneels down to feel the softness of the floor below him and is flooded with memories of wrestling his younger brothers in that very same room, and proceeds to recreate that memory by grabbing hold of his brother Joel.
The ground under our feet is something we often take for granted but is something that can ignite myriad feelings and memories. Here are eight memories associated with the ground under our feet. All are true accounts.
Splashing in puddles
After a recent rainstorm, a young mother helped her 5-year-old daughter put on her rain boots so she could jump in “muddy puddles” just like her favorite cartoon character Peppa Pig. She watched from her front window in delight and remembered having done the very same thing as a child. She wasted no time putting on her boots and joining in the fun.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Running in the mountains
A runner coming off a difficult injury laced up her shoes to head out for her first run in over a month. She picked her favorite dirt trail at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, and as she maneuvered over the rocks and tree roots, her feet felt like they were home again. She would never take for granted, again, the ability to move her feet along the mountainside.
Hardwood floors and high school basketball
As Jake entered his uncle’s cabin after spending a long day chopping wood and clearing brush for the forest service, he stepped on the hardwood floors that he had helped install just the summer before. But it wasn’t that moment that was brought to his remembrance, rather it was the final basketball game he had played for his high school team. He remembered the way his shoes gripped the hardwoods as he shut out the opposing team’s top scorer. He reached for the basketball he had kept in the entryway closet and began to dribble.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Grandma’s tile floor
When Keri and Mike went shopping for a new home, their list of needs for their growing family of six children was substantial. A large laundry room, spacious kitchen and family room to name a few. But it was when Keri entered the master bathroom, she looked down to see beautiful, white, octagon-shaped tile. She was immediately brought back to her grandmother’s home. It was a bungalow built in the 1950s and had that very same tile. It was that trip down memory lane that tipped the scale, and the couple put in an offer.
Skipping through grass
Every Saturday, 8-year-old Liz would go with her family to her older brother’s soccer game. She didn’t much care for watching him play, and even more than that, couldn’t fathom why anyone would wear shoes, let alone cleats on such a perfect surface as freshly mowed grass. As fast as she could, she would kick off her flip-flops and skip through the grass.
Now, a soccer mom, Liz resists the urge to play in the grass during games, but still removes her shoes, so she can feel the silky needles in between her toes.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
Dancing on linoleum
When it came time for Tracy, a mother of four girls, to redo the flooring in her kitchen, she heard all sorts of opinions from friends and family. “You should get hardwood,” some would say. “Tile is the best and more durable,” others would say. But Tracy loved her linoleum. It was simple, easy to clean, and best of all, she loved to watch her girls slide and dance on the smooth surface in their socks. Wanting to keep her girls’ favorite pastime alive, she placed an order with her local flooring company to come and install some new linoleum.
Romantic walks on the beach
When Marci and Dave looked ahead to their 20-year anniversary, they knew there was one place they wanted to go to spend time and reconnect: the California shoreline. They spent their honeymoon and 10-year anniversary at the same place, swimming, snorkeling and relaxing in the sun. However, it was the evening walks on the beach that beckoned them back. The feeling of the sand under their feet — still warm after a long day baking in the sun — coupled with the cooling evening air, allowed the two to relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
A fixer-upper with a purpose
Newlyweds, Ian and Kim turned the key to their new home and stepped inside. As wonderful as it felt to be homeowners, this home would require a lot of work. One of the first things to replace was the carpet throughout the living room and bedrooms.
Ian remembered how good it felt to step foot on the soft carpet after his two-year church mission in South America, five years earlier.
Photo credit: Shutterstock
He looked at his wife and thought of the children they would have someday. He imagined wrestling with his boys, giving horsey rides to his daughters and kneeling together in family prayer.
He wasted no time. He dialed the number of the flooring center his parents had used and made an appointment.
