Walk a mile in my shoes....

I came upstairs with my arms full and said to my companion "I picked up 7 pairs of shoes by the front door!". He said to me, "Yea, well did you go into the family room yet?" Hmmmm...Did I mention all 7 pairs of shoes were mine? They usually don't get far from the front door cause they are the first things that come off when I walk in at night.

You are talking to a woman who used to have 2 pairs of shoes..... 2 pairs of $5.00 shoes. Shoes to go outside in and shoes to go to work in. I had to take care of them and know where I put them casue there were no substitutes. I can remember going through the house saying "Do you know where my shoes are??" Hmmmm.....I may still do that....

I wouldn't buy shoes that were not cheap, and I must admit, my poor dogs paid the price.

Just a little side question before I go on...Is it 2 pairs of shoes or 2 pair of shoes (or 2 pairs of shoe) ??

Back in our poor days, living on military pay and my outstanding $2.00 an hour pay,

(Yes. I said $2.00 an hour...and I ran the office, took DICTATION, TYPED on a TYPEWRITER without the glorious disappearing backspace or spell check, kept the books, and everything else that needed to be done WITHOUT the help of anything digital, computerized, or instant, I even balanced the bosses checkbook! He used to say "If you get it within a $100.00, I'm happy." Do you have any idea what $100.00 was to me in 1973?? I was afraid to be out by 5 cents cause I could take it down to the penny some weeks. OK, off track....)

I would buy nothing but the bare necessities. I knew the difference between a need and a want. I needed some things, I wanted a lot of things; I didn't get my wants, and my needs were barely met, but I was happy! No one else I knew had anything either, and there was far less to covet then than there is now. So shoes were a necessity, but a lot of shoes were not a necessity. Like I said, 1 pair for outside and 1 pair for work, and barefoot the rest of the time. It was hot in Florida, I didn't need shoes unless I was going to be where the critters would bite me.

It took me 20 years to realize that I could have more shoes and they didn't have to be $5.00 shoes. When I was in my forties, I finally decided to have ingrown toenails removed on both my big toes. For years I suffered with shoes that hurt my feet and toes that were so tender, I couldn't bear to touch them. Then one day I realized I could get that fixed. Why didn't I realize it before?? Who knows, I just thought having ingrown toenails removed was a want and not a need. So for the first time, I didn't have pain in my toes when I walked, and now I could buy some shoes.

It started out innocently enough. I bought a black pair of shoes, cause black shoes are sensible and go with everything. Then a pair of beige shoes, cause in the summer beige shoes are better than black shoes..... Guess what, the world did not come to a screeching halt because I spent some money on myself. I was a little intoxicated with the fact that no one told me I was a bad mother or wife because I was wearing TWO DIFFERENT pairs (of pair) of shoes in one week. Then, like most things that feel nice and start out innocently, it became a bit obsessive. To buy or not to buy? Know what BOGO is? Oh yeah, buy one get one half price......So I will get 2 pair. I mean I'm saving money right??? Well if I buy 2, why not 4?? That's like getting a free pair of shoes! That means that 6 pair must be even better!!

Slings and heels, pumps and peek-a-boo toes, flip flops, sandals, sneakers, flats, stuff to match clothes, stuff to match purses, summer colors, winter colors. Now what I used to not even see when I went into a store seemed to jump out at me and say "Take me home, you know you love me!"

What happened, however, was that my feet still hurt. I began to believe that it didn't matter what type of shoe I wore, it hurt me. I would always buy wide shoes.....And then one day it dawned on me, I saw it, I looked at my feet........I had odd feet, REALLY odd feet. Now while I could always find what I thought was comfortable in a wide shoe, I noticed that my feet were freakishly wide, really wide, like, people I got man feet. EWWWWW how wide are these dogs for crying out loud???

Never fear! In the day of instant information, I found a place.......a heavenly place......a place for shoes that go to 4E width. I bought a pair of winter boots that, oooolala, look good on me and do not make me walk like a cripple at the end of the day. Red pumps....Oh, how I love my red shoes! I only wear them with certain things, but people notice my red shoes. Shooties that look like snake skin...yummy looking with those spike heels! And, guess what? I actually went down a half size, because now, my big fat wide feet spread across instead of lengthwise. The price? Well let's just say that when you have wide feet (or narrow feet for that matter.....my mother-in-law wore a 12 AA, she understood the meaning of special shoes) that you need to pay a special price. $5.00 dollars has turned into $50.00 minimum on up to....well, you can pay a lot for good quality shoes. I try to wait for the clearance sales. If you were to look in my closet, you would see that I really am not as bad as some women; for me, it seems excessive, to others I may be just a beginner, I won't go over that bridge to the sex-in-the-city-girl expensive shoes, I have not evolved that far, I have grandchildren you know....But I don't want anyone questioning my grandmotherly skills because I like to wear sexy shoes. (And good shoes, not sensible shoes BTW, can make you feel sexy, you know.)

So, I went into the family room....6 more pairs of shoes.... dining room, 1 more pair....living room.....Ah! Shoe-free zone!...... and as I sit here at my desk, I count 3 more pair under it. Well, at least I won't be asking where my shoes are....I may ask where my blue flip-flops that match my new shirt are...but I can always substitute.