In 2007, I was hired by a retail company that required its employees to wear closed-toe shoes. For most people this would not be a problem, but for me, this was very unpleasant news. Up until that time, I had been the proud owner of one pair of shoes. Yes, one. Uno. Solo.
Why is my collection so exclusive and singular in its roster? I could lie and say I am a most unusual and extreme elitist. But really, I have ogre feet (think Shrek) and comfy shoes are hard to come by. As a matter of fact, I almost abhor shoe shopping. I have been content in my almost too-big “Ye Olde Nurse Betty” sandals until the time came to find new shods for my tootsies.
The time arrived for the dread event, and there I was, on Sunday afternoon, trying on shoe after shoe after shoe as my sister worked hard to compete with – well herself really – in the quest to find my glass slipper. My feet had not seen the inside of a sock in months, let alone pretty Tommy Hillfiger tennis shoes. Yes, she won. They were unfamiliar to me and my feet, and I tripped over those pretty white sneaks more than once. I am very much out of my podiatric (is that a word?) comfort zone.
It is not a lot of fun to be thrust (sometimes literally, and with socks) into a place or situation that demands immediate change. But there is always a choice…stay in your bubble of complacent comfort with sandals that give blisters when you walk in them too much because they do not fit properly, OR slip into new shoes that may feel a little weird at first but are a better choice in the long run. Cinderella had it easy.
Pen in Motion 