Is The Answer My Friend...Blowin' in the Wind?

I’m taking a break from my usual witty/inspirational/”What is she talking about?” routine. I have a critical situation going on here.

I have stumbled upon one of life’s greatest mysteries.

I’m hoping one of you dear readers can answer this question for me. Are you ready?

… … …

WHY DO PEOPLE THROW SHOES ONTO A POWER LINE?

I live in the desert. There are a lot of power lines that dot the landscape. Within the past two weeks, I’ve been in three different parts of town. I look up, and there’s a pair of shoes, tied together at the laces, dangling in the breeze.

This perplexes me. I’m a believer in signs, but I just can’t seem to figure this one out.

Is it just me?

Have YOU ever looked up to see a pair of shoes swaying to and fro? And, from my keen observation, it’s never a pair of golf shoes, cowboy boots or those ubiquitous black pumps.

It’s always a pair of tennis shoes.

I wonder what motivates someone to do such a thing.

Maybe that’s what teenagers are doing for kicks these days. I picture a bunch of young rebel rousers, sitting around in a circle, slamming Red Bull and watching “Pimp My Ride” on television.

One of them suddenly gets a bright idea. “Hey! Why don’t we take a pair of perfectly good shoes and toss them onto a powerful cable that transmits enough electricity to fry us like eggs on a sidewalk in Phoenix?” (Yes, you can cook your entire breakfast on the street right now…but that’s beside the point.)

The other dudes nod together in a stony silence, grunting something like “Yo yo yo! That’s PHAT!” before they head out the door, barefoot but full of ambition.

Or…maybe the shoes were put there by my power company. It’s an experiment to see if the rubber soles can transmit energy faster, better, and cheaper for its customers.

Yeah, right. I didn’t think so, either.

I admit, it takes talent to hoist those shoes up there and have one land perfectly on each side of the line. But, why shoes? Doesn’t it seem like there are other staples that would make more sense? I never see any clothes, books, cell phones or George Foreman grills up there.

So, what’s going on here? Have we become a nation that would rather have our old shoes cohabitate with birds, rather than giving them to a friend or donating to a thrift shop?

If you have any thoughts on this phenomenon, PLEASE let me know.

In the meantime, I have to make dinner for my kids. I wonder how high a Kiddie Cuisine box can fly in the air…