One of my adventures this summer was to travel to Wisconsin for a knitting/meditation retreat. I had brought my Book of Alchemy with me—of course—because I didn’t want to miss one day.
On the morning in question, the author tasked me with drawing a portrait of my right foot and introducing it as one would introduce a character.
And, so, without further ado, I’d like you to introduce you to Ruthie.
Right Foot, known to her friends as Ruthie, is tall, slim, and elegant. Her nails—whether painted or stripped bare— are well kept, with an essence of quiet strength about them. Yet, it is her arch she loves best.
Ruthie has always taken great pride in her arch. When Ruthie walks down the street, she notices with quiet satisfaction as lookers-on admire the beauty of it. “High enough for the prima ballerina herself,” her mother would tell her as she tucked her in at night.
Ruthie knows she could have been an excellent dancer, but her family was poor.
Alas, like many others in her position, she was destined to be a diamond in the rough. But, sometimes she dreams about what it could have been like.
In fact, when no one is looking, she pliés, relevés, and pirouettes around the room.
Having had her lark, she smiles to herself and goes about her work, filled with an inner light that seems to shine without.
