Shoes

Shoes, always tied to new beginnings and celebrations. There is always a perfect shoe, to complete that perfect outfit for a first date, a wedding day, a job interview or your first day of school. In the earliest of years, shoes marked growth, mom would take me joyously to the shoe store every time I got a bit bigger. Soon, they turned to celebratory markers, for a special occasion.

Each school year was marked with a brand new pair of shoes, I remember spending the time picking just the right pair, the pair that would define me that year. One pair in particular I will never forget, not because they were fabulous, but the emotional toll they took on my fragile 15 year old ego.

I was traipsing down the hall, books in hand in my oh so lovely knee high brown boots. What I didn’t know was I had loved these boots so much, that they now lacked the rubber piece on the bottom of the heel. As the bell rang and I rushed to my next class, curls bouncing behind me, the exposed metal of my heel met slick tile floor and landed me right on my butt. In front of everyone. Of course it wasn’t everyone, but at 15 when the slightest side eye could send you crying to the bathroom, it was everyone. Keeping my cool, I gathered my books and with flushed cheeks finished my walk to class, a little slower this time.

When I got home, I tossed those boots to the back of the closet announcing to mom that I thought I had outgrown that pair and it was time to go shoe shopping. The yay you’re growing pair of shoes. Truth be told, I haven’t grown since I was about 10 years old, small person problems. But, mom being mom, ever so graciously loaded me up in the car and to the mall we went to pick out that perfect pair of just right shoes. The pair that would change my outlook, and perfect every school day outfit. I should have chosen a pair that was bold and unforgettable, but you know what I chose; the exact same pair, in the exact same size. Maybe so the other kids wouldn’t know I trashed my boots that tripped me up in a fit of tears and adolescent rage, or maybe because I’m a creature of habit. But really, I chose the same pair, because they were the boots that all the girls wore, the you need these to be cool boots.

As an adult I have quite the love affair with shoes. You can bet I don’t buy the you need these to be cool shoes anymore. But, I still choose shoes for the celebration of life, where will I wear them, what will I do in them and hope that only the best of memories are made in them.