Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud.

--Henry Rollins



About 5 years ago I requested sturdy work boots as a Christmas gift from my parents. At the time I was working in a research facility and was also doing occasional field work. The field work required me to climb around on scaffolding to work with air sampling equipment and I figured it was a good idea to have decent, protective footwear.

My parents went all out and got me a pair of Stanley steel-toes. They are clunky and ugly, but I love them! They are disgustingly un-feminine and certainly heavy, but they hold up extremely well.

I used to get a lot of laughs when I wore those boots to class on days that I was going to be working afterward. People asked me all the time if I worked for the phone company or something. Well, today I can finally say that yes, I wear these boots when I work for the phone company.

I'm currently involved in a project that requires visiting a few AT&T facilities. Whenever I do field work such as this, I like to look the part. I don't have a particularly commanding presence (5'4, 120 lbs) so anything I can do to make myself look more professional is a bonus. Today I put on my best fitting khakis with all the crazy pockets, my blue polo shirt sporting our company logo, and my Stanley Steel-toes. Ahhhh yeahhhhh.

I love my job.