A Dear Old Friend

I don't consider myself "an old fuddy-duddy" very often. I'm generally a girl who likes to mix things up. I usually rather enjoy change. I like to try new things (as long as they don't involved staying up too late 'cause I have a 2 year old) and branch out. I like meeting new people and going to different places. I certainly wouldn't use "mover and shaker" to describe myself, but neither would I use "stick in the mud".

But sometimes, my stick gets stuck in the mud something awful! Occassionally I run into something that I love so dearly, I can not bear to replace it or get rid of it. Case in point - these.

When these first became popular, I called them "frat boy shoes" because, for the most part, that's who wore them. I was more a fan of white tennis shoes (kind of still am), so these gray ones seemed very strange to me. These crazy-looking New Balance shoes were worn by the same people who wore "John Boy Shoes" (named by me endearingly after "The Waltons"). You know, the tan suede anke-booties that tie in front with just the one-holed lace?

Yep, frat-boy shoes.

But then, I tried them on one day (in a moment of total peer-pressure relenquishment) and they were pretty fabulous. They fit well, gave good support, didn't squeeze my high arches. I loved them. I still do. I think, though I'm not totally sure, that these are my second or third pair of the shoes.

I've tried other tennis shoe brands and styles. Many times over. I have probably 4 pairs of virtually unworn shoes in my closet from attempting to love some other shoe to no avail. I would wear the new shoes a couple of times and they were just never as comfortable as my good-ol', broken-in frat-boy shoes, so I'd revert. For years (as is evidenced by the sad shape these shoes are in).

And alas, when I went to try and replace them recently because I KNEW I needed something that wasn't 20 years old (maybe an exaggeration, but you get it) to support my feet while actually exercising, I asked the lady (read: 17 year old) at the store if they had the old New Balance, gray, frat-boy tennis shoes.

*Crickets*

Not only did they not HAVE them, she had no idea what I was even talking about.

It was a sad, sad day in my life, but I bucked-up and picked a lovely pair of tennies that are quite comfy and supportive for my workouts. However, I decided I'd keep my old pals, the gray shoes, for "walking around" shoes. You know, for when I'm not actually exercising, but want to wear tennis shoes as part of an outfit.

And I did for a while.

Then this Saturday happened. I wore them to an all-day craft fair at which I was a vendor. (More on that later). They felt kind of funny when I put them on - like they were so stretched out and the cushy part was so squished down that they barely even touched half of my feet. By the end of the day, my feet were SO SORE! My old pals had let me down (or at least my arches).

Apparently, my new "back-up plan/only-when-I'm-exercising" tennis shoes were so good to me that they overshadowed the love I had for my frat boy shoes.

I've decided I must say goodbye to them completely, not just for working out.

It's a sad, sad day.

Hey, maybe I'll go buy me some "John Boy shoes"!!!

Love & Shipoopies,

Leslie