Pink Flip Flop

We had a pretty mild winter this year. Not mild in the sense that no snow fell or that the ponds weren’t covered in ice, but Calgary mild. That means it rarely got below -20° C and hovered in the area 5 or 6 degrees below zero. If the sun was shining and there was no wind it was very pleasant…mild.

I mention that not so you will be happy for those of us who live in southern Alberta, but just to set the stage. Back in January, while walking Buster, I happened to notice a woman’s pink flip flop half buried in the snow. At the time I wondered where the other one was. I don’t wear flip flops, but if I did I think I would be able to notice when one suddenly wasn’t on my foot. I suppose it is possible that a pair of flip flops were in a gym bag of some sort and in the process of entering or leaving the car, it managed to make an escape. It’s possible… However, I have to assume that whoever owned the flip flops lived close to where the escaped flip flop was and as the days and weeks passed, they should have noticed a single flip flop on the ground by where they park.

I did.

I have been seeing that pink flip flop since January. I watched it get covered with snow and I watched that snow melt, come back and then melt again. I have watched Buster lift his leg and mark the flip flop as his territory. I have watched when it was partially covered with a discarded cigarette package. Lately, I have watched as the flip flop is being hidden by the sprouting, spring grass. I doubt that it has moved an inch in four months.

I knew guys like that in the Post Office, but they were protected by the union and I doubt there is a union for mismatched flip flops. Anything is possible I suppose, but that even stretches my imagination. When you think about it, where would a flip flop go? It could float down the gutter; it could go to the beach and see if it could pick up a partner. It could go to a singles bar.

I still remember a discarded toothbrush* I watched daily for over a year when I was delivering mail. The toothbrush moved a little at a time, and over a year it made the journey to the end of the street. I have no idea why it needed to get to the end of the street, but I suppose it had a reason. Well, you need to believe that inanimate objects have free will and are part of a universe wide consciousness. An old toothbrush may not have a big part to play in an unfolding universe, but it does have a part.

I will continue to keep an eye on that pink flip flop and if it does anything suspicious I will be sure to let you know. Personally, I suspect that since it is on someone’s lawn that flip flop will soon be in the Calgary City dump along with other yard waste.

But, you just never know…

* From the blog “Fireman Ken Has Horrible Teeth” May 7/2011