UNITED STATES—This weekend I did something that I rarely do, I went shopping for new athletic shoes. When I was a teenager and in my early 20s I would probably have 4-5 pairs of shoes a year, now that I’m older, I might be lucky if I have 1-2 pairs.
It seems the style of athletic shoes nowadays have changed vastly from when I was growing up. I don’t believe in paying more than a $100 for a pair of shoes. Anything more than that is a bit much if you ask me to say the least.
The funny thing was the previous week I had bought my first pair of athletic shoes in about a year, but I wasn’t thoroughly happy with my purchase. That tends to happen to me a lot, as well as many other people I know. That feeling of buyer’s remorse!
So imagine my surprise when a few days later I hit up the mall and venture into a shoe store where I found a pair of sneakers that I just had to have. There was one slight problem I didn’t bring back the shoes that I initially purchased. I tried on the sneakers and was a little hesitant to purchase, as I felt the shoe didn’t properly fit.
Major mistake on my part, because for the next few days all I could think about were those sneakers, considering I had to work, it wasn’t like I could just head back to the mall whenever I wanted. When I did get the chance to go back out, I had no idea how difficult it would be to find that perfect shoe. I was frantic trying to get back to the shoe store where I first spotted those athletic shoes that I hadn’t seen anyone else wearing.
Thankfully, they were still in stock, however there was one slight problem; they didn’t have the shoe any longer in my size. Who knew a size 13 was so damn popular? What happened next nearly drove me bonkers, as I probably tried on and asked to see 7-8 different pairs of shoes. Guess what, they didn’t have any of those shoes in my size. I was beyond frustrated at this point. I rarely purchase sneakers and when I choose to do so, I can’t find any of the shoes that I want in my size.
I was mere seconds from saying the hell with it, perhaps I’m destined to keep the shoes that I originally purchased, when I stumble over a pair of shoes that weren’t my first choice, but I thought they were neat looking. I sat patiently waiting, hoping they would have the shoe in my size which they did. A sigh of relief, went through my body.
I then put on the shoes as I wanted to see how I looked in them. I must say they elevated my height a bit, I can’t recall the last time I actually felt tall wearing gym shoes, but these made a difference.
The next day I was out and about, and I couldn’t believe how many compliments I got on my new shoes, it’s like when you wear something new, everyone notices it, even those people you least expect. I felt for the first time in a very long time I purchased an item that produced a bit of glee in me. I was happy; the only problem now is making sure to keep the shoes squeaky clean because when it comes to white sneakers, all it takes is one scratch to change everything!
