When Shoes Are Hard To Find – We Keep Them A Long Time

A few weeks ago my daughter and her friend were playing dress-up when I heard the inevitable clunk, clunk, clonk on the stairs, and was greeted by the sight of two ten-year-olds wearing an amazing assortment of dresses, scarves, jewelry, makeup and high heels. My eyes were drawn to my lovely pale pink pumps, and the memories came rushing back.  These were the beautiful shoes I bought years ago (20?) when my only options were black pumps.  A size 10 by high school, I am used to being disappointed by the latest styles.  Yes, they are adorable/cool/hot – but they won’t be in my size.  These pink shoes are the most amazing color – soft and warm and sexy.  I remember wearing them in 1989 in Tokyo with a beige silk suit and a rose quartz necklace as I ate sashimi while seated on a totomi mat in a private dining room. I remember feeling like a princess…

But in 1992 I was back in the states and faced with a more challenging situation – finding shoes to wear on my wedding day.  My feet were now barely a 10, and the white shoes I sought were elusive. Satin would not be right, and I wanted comfort.  I looked up until the day before the wedding and then reached for my pink shoes.  They were perfect.  Comfortable.  Something old! And so well made that they still looked new.  If anyone noticed they were pink instead of white, they were having too much fun to mention it.

Fourteen years and two children later, I now wear a size 12, and many years have passed since I added my precious shoes to the dress-up closet. I laughed with the girls, and then asked to try on the shoes myself.  I can squeeze into them for a moment, if I hold my breath, just as I can into my wedding dress! But unlike the dress, no amount of dieting will make them fit again.  While my wedding dress hangs, lonely, in my closet, my shoes have a second life.  My daughter loves them too. So far, she takes for granted that the shoe she wants will fit her.  I know, however, how special it is to find that certain shoe, in my size, that makes my heart beat quickly.  And I am so glad that my pink shoes are still looking fabulous!

Marina

5.5.06

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