“My momma always said you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, where they go, where they’ve been. I’ve worn lots of shoes, I bet if I think about it real hard I can remember my first pair of shoes.” – Forrest Gump
I was cleaning up my room and hanging my shoes on the shoe rack that hangs on the back of my bedroom door. I wanted them off the floor because they seemed to be scattered all about and I was tired of coming up one shoe short! Once I finally looked at the array of shoes hanging, I had to laugh. Based on what I saw before me on my shoe rack, not only did it make me laugh, but it also made me realize how true Mama Gump’s words were – that you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes! Where they go…where they been…
Here is my shoe rack!
My shoes range from heels (that I pretty much only wear for church), to flats (what I wear to church, before I change into heels), to running, cycling and rock climbing shoes (yes, I hang these with the other “important shoes”). And in between all of these are the comfy-casual-everyday shoes and of course, my beloved Chaco sandals!!
Most of these shoes have stories behind them, from how they were purchased and how long I looked for the best sale online. Some of them have ventured to different states, different countries and climbed various mountains. Some I’ve purchased from the thrift store (please don’t be grossed-out…sometimes you gotta make do with what you have!) and some were even given to me from friends as hand-me-downs (I love when friends clean out their closets and you get to inherit their stuff). It’s crazy to me to think YES, our shoes can say a lot about us!
I chose 2 of my faves and decided to write a blurp about them, in hopes, if ANY willing soul is as cheesey as me, to write about a pair of their own (or 2 or 3). Take a picture if you can or just describe what kind of shoe, what history with them and any other information you’d like to share : ) I think this could be fun, and maybe we’ll find out what our shoes may say about us or the places we’ve been…
Pair #1
Chaco Z2 sandal
This is what I love about these sandals – bought them when I lived in Wyoming back in 2003 (and still wear ’em), wore them a ton while I worked on a ranch out there and did a hike up the Teton trail that led to a beautiful hidden lake, just shy of the summit. Can’t remember the name of the trail though…but it was beautiful! Wyoming holds a special place in my heart for MANY reasons and it was a wonderful season before I moved to Chicago, so these sandals make me think on that time. These sandals have traveled with me out west, back to the east, and are in the Midwest now. I’ve been through Guatemala, Honduras and played with the precious children in Malawi, Africa. Oh the places these sandals have been. My only warning regarding these: be careful wearing them too much in the sun or you’ll get a tan line in the shape of a Z on the top of your foot! (wouldn’t recommend wearing these before standing in a wedding…learned that the hard way)
Pair #2
Beloved cowboy boots
These shoes take me to a happy place…mmmm. Yes, I live in Chicago and yes, I bought them while living in Chicago but I’ve always loved cowboy boots. When I was a little girl, my mom would put my hair in pig-tails, with a denim skirt and whatever shirt I could find. I would then ROCK the cowboy boots, which were usually on the wrong feet and the toes pointed out to alert my mother and she’d have to fix them, every time. Thankfully, I have figured out all that by now : ) and can freely adore these shoes. I think they can spruce up any casual outfit and I absolutely love wearing them with dark flare jeans. I also enjoy wearing them when playing guitar for Children’s Church, so I can stay away from high-heels since there’s just enough of a heel to feel “dressy”. Plus, when you’re jumping around like crazy, it’s important to stay as close to the ground as possible : ) and a cowboy boot heel isn’t too much! Who knows, maybe one day I can sneak them under a fancy white dress as I walk down an aisle…that would be bliss!
So if your shoes could say something about you, I wonder what they’d say?
Pieces of the Mosaic 