I have always been fascinated by shoes. Of all clothing accessories, shoes
are my favorite. I fondly remember each pair of new shoes throughout my
childhood.
We begin our lives wearing the sweetest little shoes. Shoes that will never
wear out because they are more for the benefit of the parents than the baby.
Tiny little bits of fabric beautifully embellished with satin and lace and
the tiniest of buttons. Shoes that will be photographed on tiny little feet and
then stored away for years in a box.
They are passed on and treasured mementos of a time that will never return.
Beloved Mary Janes, worn with party dresses yet no longer perfect
because the desire to run and jump and play is overwhelming.
Shoes can also tell a story of the path we choose to take in this life.
I once knew a brilliant physicist who wore old worn shoes and the
soles of his shoes were full of holes covered by Duck Tape. He
could have purchased new ones, but he thought they were still
perfectly usable and he didn't care because his mind was always
researching cosmic rays. I admired him because he blazed
his own trail in worn out, unfashionable shoes that suited him
just fine. To him, function won out over form.
I also knew a young man who loved to wear conservative
wing tips. They suited him perfectly because he was
priggish, had an excellent mind for business, and knew he
was going places. At the time I remember thinking they
looked like something a middle aged man would wear and
not the preferred shoes of a twenty something. Frankly, he
annoyed me and he eventually became a hedge fund manager.
Those shoes were perfect for him.
It's also easy to tell which coast someone is from by the
type of shoes they wear. Take my husband for example.
His closet is full of Sperry Topsiders and Allen Edmonds
loafers, worn without socks. Although he was born in
Texas, he spent much of his youth in boarding schools on
the east coast and their style is reflected on his feet.
While living in the Middle East, I saw many men
wearing sandals that looked to be as much in fashion
then as they once were in Biblical times.
Shoes take so many forms, from the practical to the
status symbol. A person's social status can be read in
moments by what they are wearing on their feet. Fights
have broken out over special shoes. Children have cried
because their shoes are not the current fashion craze or
sadly because they have none to wear.
I love pretty shoes and always have. However, when I
think about it, the physicist with the old worn out shoes
is the one that always clings to my memory because the
trail he was blazing in those shoes, would have an effect
on generations to come.
Have a great Monday filled with wonder and adventure.
Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley
