Today we finally got our boots! For those of you who aren’t in the know, Timberland has been an ardent supporter of City Year from the very beginning. We actually got to see a wonderful video from the CEO of Timberland explaining how that partnership came about and as soon as I manage to find the blasted thing I’ll post it up here. But Timberland supplies City Year with its signature red jackets, vests, and yellow boots… and I love my new boots. They’re comfortable and oh-so-official.

Actually, I love all of the stuff we got today. On it’s own some of the stuff isn’t all that flattering but taken together it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe that’s because for the last month I’ve seen the Senior Corps in these boots everywhere they go, maybe it’s the boot boutiques (red and black balloons anchored by an extra-large yellow boot), maybe it’s the emotional video we watched. But these boots seem intrinsically City Year somehow. These are boots you wear not to make a fashion statement but on your way to do something, these are hard-work shoes: practical and strong.

And yes, I am waxing poetic about a pair of shoes. But maybe I just really like the idea of the uniform. I’m sure that it’s going to be annoying, not being able to listen to headphones or chew gum while wearing the jacket, having to give up your seat on the bus or make conversation with strangers because of what you’re wearing. But I understand the idea of the uniform, maybe it’s from being a Girl Scout, and I know what it means to represent more than yourself because you wear it.

When I was a scout I found out some things about wearing a uniform… the connections you have not just with other people wearing it as well, but with everyone who has ever worn it, with anyone who has been affected by it. People may expect more out of you but they also trust you.

And wearing the uniform tells everyone why I’m in Seattle, that I’m here because I have ideals that I want to uphold. Wearing the boots will hopefully remind me of those ideals when I get stressed or annoyed, when I don’t feel like working. With everyone else watching I have more reasons to keep on track.

Not everyone feels this way. There are corps members who think that the pledge is silly, that the uniform is uncomfortable and useless… but for me it means something more. For me, the boots symbolize a promise I made to myself long ago: that I was going to make a difference in the world. I haven’t been the best at keeping that promise. I’ve been idle and lazy, blind to the problems around me. But this is a chance to change that. These boots were made, not for walking, but for getting things done.