The Shoe Tree

A couple of weeks ago on my tele-seminar on Learning More Everyday, I talked about a sight I had seen that week - I called it the Shoe Tree. You will find this tree on the west side of US 131 near Kalkaska, MI.

As you can see, this is a very large tree, with many shoes draped in it.

Why did I mention this tree in my tele-seminar, and why I am I writing about it now?

Because this tree reminds me of two important parts of our learning process - observation and curiosity.

I am sure that anyone who notices this tree is curious, if only for a minute, as to why there are shoes thrown into this tree. But I am less sure how many people drive by and actually notice the tree in the first place.

This is clearly an unusual sight - something that is clearly not natural and that most definitely has some story behind it. But unless we are observant of the world around it, we'll never have the chance to be curious.

We can observe with all of our senses - not just our eyes. And if we consciously begin to observe with our touch, and smell and taste as well as our eyes and ears, we will encounter many things in our world that may provide us with learning opportunities.

Once things are observed, as can use our curiosity to explore for meanings, answers, solutions and more - all of the things our brains love to do.

I encourage you to look for your shoe trees around you today, and tomorrow, and next week and forever. They are there and they can help us become more successful, productive, and satisfied learners.

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