Shoes

Certainly no one would mistake me for Imelda Marcos? I probably own 12 pair of shoes, but this in only because fashion requires it. It is hard to wear sneakers with a dress and high heels hiking. My collection is nowhere near the 2700 pair of shoes Imelda left behind in Manilla. Of course out of my 12 pair of shoes, each season has its one pair that is my shoe. And I don’t get rid of shoes until they are completely destroyed. This summer and actually last summer too, I have been quite happy with a pair of sandals that I picked up at either Wal-mart or Payless Shoes. The idea of buying $100 or $500 shoes is just foreign to me, no matter who designed them.



I must admit that I admire a pretty shoe. I am particularly partial to the shoes that lace up your leg like a ballet slipper, but on me they just make me look short. And who has time to put on all these shoes? I like to slip them on as I go out the door and drop them off when I come in. My poor father is just happy to see shoes on my feet, as he must chastise me 100 times a year for not wearing shoes. Even as an adult, when he takes my daughter out to a game and I greet him when they return, the first thing he does is look at my feet. My husband finds my feet the one part of my body he is not attracted to – probably all that walking without shoes.



But shoes were invented to protect our feet – basic and purposeful, a necessity. Now they are a fashion statement. They are meant to appeal, to convey status, to make people drool. It really doesn’t matter how comfortable they are as long as they properly go with your outfit. Each season the styles change, so that like clothes, if you don’t have a new pair, you look out of touch. I had the hardest time two years ago when every shoe had chunky bottoms – Yuck! That year, I don’t think I bought any shoes.



I was never really a shoe buyer, but my ability to find really nice shoes that fit and were comfortable completely fell apart after I had children. Who knew that getting pregnant even affected your shoe size? My feet are wider than ever before. Pointy shoes may be very cute, but for me they are very painful if I can even get my paws in them at all. Stilettos are also a thing of the past. Now I understand why old lady shoes have sensible thick heals - - -because they are sensible. Especially with a mom schedule, I could be in the market, on the soccer field, and at a meeting all in the same day. If you did not already know stilettos on a grassy surface is a no win situation, but chucky heals work on all of these surfaces and can look reasonably stylish too.



Actually, my favorite shoe is just a simple sandal – no pretense, no pop, just utility and comfort. I guess that choice actually says a lot about me.