The Preoccupied Mind – “You Left Your Shoes at the TSA Checkpoint”

My wife and I were traveling over the holidays and while in the airport we heard this announcement: “If you LEFT YOUR SHOES at the TSA checkpoint, we have them for you.”  It gave us both a chuckle, which only increased when the announcement was made a second time with the same emphasis on you left your shoes.

Certainly, the first thought is how in the world does someone forget their shoes, but now with age, I have
taught myself to say that could be you.  I subsequently made up a number of scenarios: too embarrassed to retrieve them and did not like the shoes all that much anyway; rushing to get their flight and did not have time to return and retrieve them and have others packed; to my favorite of this person was so preoccupied with their travels and/or who they were with they not only forget their shoes, they did not hear the announcement, and even more still had not noticed they did not have shoes; of course there is the other possibility shoes did not really matter to this individual and simply did not notice they left them and are the type of individual who does not care to listen to announcements.  Now I can imagine you may conjure up a different scenario which is part of the fun.  

What I tell myself is whatever scenario we create it reflects different parts of us.  Perhaps reflecting a fear, a self judgement, or our ability to laugh at ourselves.  As the title reflects, I go to a preoccupied mind, which is my own struggle. My wish for myself is leaving my shoes would mean, I was immersed in the moment!