Waiting at the bus stop this morning, I was randomly engaged in a conversation by an older gentleman standing at my stop. The topic of said conversation? My shoes. He asked me how I liked them, and when I responded that they were the best pair of shoes I've ever owned, he went on to tell me how they are a great shoe, and that he sells a lot of them (I imagine he works in a shoe store?). He then went on to say that he's had a pair of them for going on five years now. Which let me to reminisce about my own pair.
I believe it was mid 2005 when I first purchased my pair of black Merrell slip-on shoes, size 8 and a half, from the Coast Mountain Sports in West Edmonton Mall. Nearly four years later, I'm still wearin' em, for better or worse. These shoes have carried me through a LOT. They were my work shoes at Chapters, where I was on my feet for at least seven hours a shift. They were the shoes during my year at Adtel. They lasted the eight months of retail aerobics at Carlton Cards, my stint at the gov't, and my seven months at JWP. I've walked countless miles in these shoes OUTSIDE of work. If I could have worn them at the gym, I would have. As it was, they came with me on hours-long walks throughout the city, on sidewalk, street, and grassy stretches. I've worn them through rain and sleet, through the hot months of summer, and the cold, wet, snowy months of winter. They've been soaked through, muddied, grass-stained, clumped with sticky snow. And yet, they've lasted. They've been to movies, concerts, on dates, numerous shopping expeditions, nature walks, family visits, to the homes of friends, to bowling alleys, on airplanes. I've experienced the full range of human emotion while wearing these shoes, which makes them far more than just an item of practical use.
Now, I can recognize that my shoes are nearing the end of their long journey with me. The leather is worn and faded, the seams are loosened, and small holes are appearing. But, I am not prepared to part ways with them yet.
I believe it was mid 2005 when I first purchased my pair of black Merrell slip-on shoes, size 8 and a half, from the Coast Mountain Sports in West Edmonton Mall. Nearly four years later, I'm still wearin' em, for better or worse. These shoes have carried me through a LOT. They were my work shoes at Chapters, where I was on my feet for at least seven hours a shift. They were the shoes during my year at Adtel. They lasted the eight months of retail aerobics at Carlton Cards, my stint at the gov't, and my seven months at JWP. I've walked countless miles in these shoes OUTSIDE of work. If I could have worn them at the gym, I would have. As it was, they came with me on hours-long walks throughout the city, on sidewalk, street, and grassy stretches. I've worn them through rain and sleet, through the hot months of summer, and the cold, wet, snowy months of winter. They've been soaked through, muddied, grass-stained, clumped with sticky snow. And yet, they've lasted. They've been to movies, concerts, on dates, numerous shopping expeditions, nature walks, family visits, to the homes of friends, to bowling alleys, on airplanes. I've experienced the full range of human emotion while wearing these shoes, which makes them far more than just an item of practical use.
Now, I can recognize that my shoes are nearing the end of their long journey with me. The leather is worn and faded, the seams are loosened, and small holes are appearing. But, I am not prepared to part ways with them yet.
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