Ahhh, the shoes

Ahhh, the shoes
Well, as a thirty-something living in the city for the past five years, I am constantly feeling inadequate as far as fashion goes. Growing up in a small town in MA, where as an athlete sweatpants, windpants (on yes...the infamous windpants) and sneakers were typical attire. On a crazy day maybe a pair of jeans and a new top.


Regardless, each and every morning when I go to my closet to make that sometimes pain-staking decision of "what will I wear today," I typically reach for those shoes that will provide the most comfort, regardless of their cuteness factor. I have been feeling a bit spiffy and possibly even more fashionable in the 6 days since I entered the 3rd decade of my life (yes folks, just turned 30). Been trying to coordinate shoes, along with jewelry and been sporting my newest bag. Well, the shoe gods were not with me this morning. I should know to always go with comfort over cuteness in the city. Especially since I have quite a walk to and from the subway each morning.




I knew when I got to 2nd avenue and I already felt like crying it was going to be a long and foot-pained day. So, I made it to work successfully--slowly, but successfully. When I arrived in my office, I looked down to notice the blood. Yup, apparently I have made a small sacrifice of part of my heel to the shoe gods this a.m. I quickly got some tissues and scotch tape. That is correct, I did say tissues and scotch tape, because what else is a girl suppose to do in these situations with no replacement shoes hidden under the desk (note to self, keep a pair of cheap comfy shoes under my desk for future situations when the cuteness factor wins over once again) and no band-aids in sight. Ugh, what to do?


I quickly called my office mate who recently told me she often wears one pair of shoes into the office and then changes them quickly into more comfy shoes once she has settled in for the day--what a novel idea! I called to see if she happened to have an extra pair of these infamous cheap/comfy shoes for me to borrow for the day. Unfortunately she did not, but fortunately, she did have some band-aids for me.


So, my lunch break today, in addition to going to the deli to grab a sandwich, also had to include the quick walk across the street--as I am not so sure I would make it any further--to grab a cheap pair of shoes. I made it to Duane Reade and when I was told by an employee “I am not sure what we have left," my life quickly flashed before my eyes--ok, maybe a bit dramatic, but I think many of you can relate. You may not have shoes, I thought to myself? What will I do? While I am sure I would not be arrested for walking down the streets of NYC barefoot, as I am sure I would not be the first nor the last person New York's finest have seen barefoot, but my feet are extremely sensitive and at times walking on the beach is a challenge, so what exactly am I going to do? As usual, my mind started to race and think of the worst even before I knew whether or not there would actually be a problem. I had visions of myself crawling down the street to catch a cab on the way home after work. While I have nothing against cabs, I do have a minor problem taking them when I have an unlimited monthly Metro card--which I have already shelled out $89 for.


Luckily for me, I worried for nothing and there were a handful of shoes available for purchase. While these shoes were nothing special--Duane Reade specials if you will-- anything was better than the shoes I had on, so I thought. When I initially looked at the rack I was a bit concerned, as all I saw were those interesting-looking water shoes. And, while I do think my office is pretty casual as far as the entire dress code thing goes, I am not sure that water shoes would have worked--may have been crossing the line a bit there. Luckily as my eyes scanned down the rack, I noticed a few pairs of quasi-normal flip-flop-type shoes. Now, I just had to hope and pray that my monster-sized feet wouldn't prevent me from walking out of Duane Reade much happier and much more easily than when I walked in. Luckily, they only had “BFG” (needed to throw in a Roald Dahl reference) size flips, and I happily walked out with some $13.00 shoes that I may never wear again, but at least if nothing else, I will save money on a cab fare tonight, and will not have to arrange my entire work day on what I can do at my desk--yes, walking around the office and back-and-forth from the copier has been that painful.


So, I guess note to self here, is to stick with what I know works. While I know that some people have the mantra as "beauty is pain," this has never been my mantra. I will continue to focus on my bags, earrings, and jewelry because unfortunately cute and comfy shoes are another battle for another set of feet....


And that’s all she wrote......