Change Your Shoes, Change Your Life

So.  I seem to have this bad habit of picking the wrong shoes for our NYC adventures.  This year I went with a heavier fashion hiking boot that seemed to be extremely comfortable prior to our leaving.  Once in NYC we typically walked 20-50 blocks per day. It just ended up that way because by the time we’ve cleared 10 blocks sight seeing, we just keep going and before we know it, we are close to the next place so....we keep going.  Therefore by Day 3, I couldn’t walk without pain and was audibly cursing every fourth step.   Walking had become torture and I was beginning to hate every moment.  I hated just walking the four blocks to the Subway station.  At the end of my rope, I began my perquisition for new fashion sneakers.

Being in NYC and a short cab ride from any store I could ever want to purchase a pair of shoes from-- you’d think this would not become the huge crisis it did.  For some reason we could not grasp the concept of taking a cab to Macys instead of walking around endlessly to find it.  It’s like admitting defeat and there would be no white flags on our bayonets.

Luckily we found a little shop near our favorite Thai place (Nooch) and I promised myself that the first pair that I could stomach, in my size, under $100 would be on my feet as I left the store.   The clerk helping me actually had a personality (a first) and never complained when going up and down the stairs 4 times to get me sizes.

Because of my ridiculous standards and the fact I wear a common size, I didn’t find a pair until the evening of Day 4 out of our 5 day trip.  I lowered my standards three times.  Merely acceptable would now do.  (I should caveat this with the fact that I did indeed find a pair on Day 3 at Saks, for $335.00.  I still dream of them.)

Here's the story on why I was having such problems: I tend to like chunky, dressy shoes, with good width.  Think Dr. Marten with a comfort flex sole or Kenneth Cole Reaction.  The current crop of trendy shoes are borrowing from womens pointy toed pumps and that's just not acceptable.  Also, because of my mutant foot shape I don't like shoes that "mold" themselves around my foot-- ala Sambas.  I was ready to accept a pair of tennis shoes but every shop I found a pair at- would be out of my size.  By the time I was ready to accept a typical pair of gray/blue generic tennis shoes--- the shop we land at doesn't carry generic tennis shoes.  But I had a promise to keep and a body that was going to go on strike at any moment if I didn't improve conditions in the workplace fast.

So I kept my promise and selected the first pair that fit and walked happily ever after for the rest of the trip.  They were comfortable but are so hideous I can’t stare directly at them for fear of being blinded.  I'm not sure who is going to get them for Xmas yet.

Comments

[linda]

What, you couldn't find a pair of bright green crocs? You're SO picky!!