Monday, March 10, 2014

Did I Really Just Write a Post About Shoes?!?

I used to have a really nice pair of shoes, but the bottom of the shoe broke off of the rest of the shoe.  I felt like I had lost my sole.  Ha, ha, ha!

I'm a white sneakers and blue jeans kind of guy.  That hasn't changed much over the years, though I've had to go to a much more professional look as my career has progressed.  I'm usually dressed professionally for work, shirt and tie, slacks, and nice shoes.  As a journeyman cartographer, I could get away with blue jeans and sneakers.  Management really does change you.

I find it interesting that, growing up, all the way through my twenties, I dressed up for church.  Every Sunday, I would wear a tie and a sport coat, or suit, with a nice pair of shoes.  As I've gotten older, I've dressed more and more casually for church, just as I've gotten more and more professional for work.  Grace Community is about the most casual church I've ever attended.  It's refreshing.

Shoes have never been a big deal to me.  As I mentioned, I'm a sneakers kind of guy.  Because I have to dress nicely for work, I have a couple of pairs of dress shoes.  I also keep a pair of hiking boots that I wear, in the snow, mostly.

Back in 1997, I made my life-impacting road trip around the country.  Along the way, I stopped in Wall, South Dakota, at the legendary Wall Drug Store.  It was there that I found a shoe store specializing in cowboy boots.  I never had a desire to have a pair, thinking they were just not very comfortable.  A sweet old lady who worked there talked me into considering buying a pair, and with her help, I picked out a pair of boots that I kind of liked, and bought them.  They were kind of a rusty color, with a nice design.  The boots lady said they were a nice pair of dress boots.  I was happy with my purchase, but I didn't think they were very comfortable.  The boots lady said it would take a little time to break them in.

Fast forward a few years, and she was right.  It took a long while to break them in, mostly because I didn't wear them very often, maybe a couple of times a month.  Plus, I started to not like the color.  It actually seemed more orange than rust.  Anyway, in 2000, Teresa, my wife, and I took a trip out west and we stopped at the same boots store at Wall Drug.  I wanted Teresa to get a pair of boots.  She easily and quickly found a really nice pair, and we got them.  I decided I didn't want another pair, especially since the previous pair wasn't what I expected.

In 2007, I took my daughter, Melody, to Wall Drug, and, just like her Mom, I wanted her to get a pair of boots.  We found a pink pair that she fell in love with, so we got them.  I was having second thoughts about boots, and decided to get a new pair, this time with a different look.  I found a pair that really was more of a work-style boot compared to the other pair that I had.  They were light brown and were immediately comfortable.  To this day, I love wearing these boots.  They are great with a pair of jeans.  I wear them to church regularly, too.

My newest shoes are driving shoes.  I began to really hate wearing dress shoes to work, especially when I bought a nice black pair that were as uncomfortable as any shoes I've bought in the last decade.  So I got a pair of driving shoes.  Basically, they're like moccasins.  They are really comfortable, and they're nice enough to be able to wear as dress shoes to work.  I liked them so much, I got a second pair so I would have a brown and a dark gray pair.

When I started this post, I really didn't plan on writing about shoes.  Who writes about shoes?  It's really ridiculous, when I think about it.  I guess my whole point is that I really felt like I only needed a pair of sneakers back in my younger days, but as an older guy, I have about five pairs of shoes that I can wear, depending on the occasion.  I have to laugh, though, because, shortly after my wife died, I had to clean out our closet and all of her shoes.  I think she had at least a dozen pairs, maybe more.  It was a funny comparison.  But I'll take comfort over looks any day.

Have a great evening, everyone!


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