{My worn, paint splattered OOGOS}
The first winter I moved to the house at the Lake in New York, I headed to the car one icy winter morning in a pair of high heels. I got half way to the car when I started to slip and slide over our stone walkway. From a distance I am sure I was an amusing sight as I mimicked a rubber legged ice skater trying to make her way to the side of an ice skating rink without falling down. Ultimately, I took off my shoes and walked to the car in my stocking feet. That was the last time I wore high heels in the winter.
That wintry morning was the beginning of my journey towards what others would call more sensible shoes. I love high heels for many reasons. I am tall but heels make me taller. High heels can be cute or sexy depending on my mood and they definitely make any outfit dressier. For most of my adult life, I wouldn't leave the house in anything other than a pair of heels. And then my big Ice Capades moment made me rethink my shoe wear.
I discovered that once my flat winter boots were put to the back of the closet, I did not want to put back on a pair of heels. I had experienced the comfort of flat shoes. Today I am skeptical of any woman who tells me that heels don't hurt her feet at some point during the day. I can identify the "these shoes are killing me" shuffle in 3 seconds and at a distance of 50 feet. When I was younger I was willing to sacrifice comfort in the name of fashion, now I am looking for fashion that is comfortable.
A couple of years ago, I had a flair up of plantar fasciitis. For those of you who may not be familiar with this painful foot ailment, it requires the wearing of shoes at all times even at home. Before getting out of bed each morning I would lace up my tennis shoes to walk downstairs. Yes, PF is painful to the point that I was willing to look goofy first thing in the morning. But then I discovered what I thought to be a stylish pair of hot pink flip flops just for PF suffers on a website called FootSmart. From the moment I put them on, I was in like.
Not long after I purchased my OOFOS, I was modeling them for my children when my son asked what does OOFOS mean. I said I didn't know but I thought it was Swedish. Don't ask me why I thought that. I may of read it somewhere or just made it up in my mind. Anyway at that point my daughter piped up and said, "It is Swedish for flip flops for people over 50." We all had a good laugh but it also started me thinking.
I think our shoes reveal a lot about us. My closet now houses a variety of shoes from running shoes to hiking boots to pink OOFOS. My flat, black dressy shoes sparkle and my sandals are shades of pink, green or turquoise. My activities no longer revolve around work and a pair of high heels. The shoes in my closet now reflect my varied activities that involve more than work and the have-tos of life. What is in your closet? Do your shoes reveal the kind of life you are living? Do your shoes reflect who your are?