Filling my big shoes…

For a few years I’ve switched between my Blundstones and my Fit Flops. Both are like dear old friends when I slip into them…having not seen them for months. I’m in my Flops from May to September (always with a wonderful pedicure from Lisa at Mudwraps) and the Blundstones keep me warm in the rink and barn from September through to May when the weather starts to get warm again. Each pair of shoes is a comfort to my poor old feet who have seen their fair share of broken toes through the years.

On the odd occasion I throw on my black, tight, high heeled “down town” boots…which are more like the friend you’re not totally comfortable with but you always have a good time when you’re out with them. Quite unlike the others, who have never let me down.

A few weeks ago I hit a snag. It’s that time of year where I’m not as particular about the pedicure anymore, the air is getting cooler, my toes can’t handle the chill of the rink and I’m in transition between boots and flips. The problem was that I’d been at the barn the night before and my wonderful Blundstones have kind of turned themselves into paddock boots…mucking out stalls and cleaning horse dung. They desperately need to be replaced with a non-barn wearing pair if I’m to ever wear them in public again with my non-poop mucking friends!

Knowing I didn’t want to offend everyone around me, I began searching through the closet when I came upon the most delightful shoes. Chuck Taylors!

My girls love their Chucks. My youngest pretty much lives in hers and we’d shopped for two new pairs just a few months before. At the time, my son was desperate for a pair of black, high tops. They were a must have for his wardrobe and as he convinced me, I doled out the sixty bucks. He wore them once or twice, and they’ve sat neglected in the closet ever since.

I called him into the room to question him on said neglected sneakers and he informed me they made his feet look like clown’s feet. I didn’t really kick up a big stink about it as I’d noticed it myself in the store, just hadn’t wanted to offend the little guy who desperately needed the cool shoes at the time.

I tried them on for size and low and behold, my son and I currently have the exact same size feet! (I say currently, as his feet are growing faster than a bull running through the streets of Spain.)

They work for me. I’ve discovered a whole new style that’s somewhere between “I’m too cool to be a Mom” and “look how good I make sloppy look”. Coming from someone who hasn’t had a “style” for as long as I can remember…at least it’s a style! Right?

I have this feeling of being back in grade twelve when I put them on, though admittedly I’m no where near as cool as either Fiona Highet or Chris Murphy. I’ve considered taking out my markers and creating a checkerboard pattern on the white rubber toes of my clownlike shoes…but I probably shouldn’t go there! I’m not sure why I didn’t discover these years before while obviously others saw their potential. I was busy trying to pull off Lara Cassidy’s high heeled boots…but honestly…should have realized no one could make a pair of high heels look like that girl could!

My cool factor ran out long ago. Chances are I never had it. However, I’m finding these black high tops to be rather comfortable. And besides, the laugh that came out of Crazy’s mouth, the delighted look on Prada’s face and the exasperated one on my oldest’s when they each saw me in them for the first time was so worth the sixty bucks I paid for the shoes my son simply had to have!

And…in case he plans on dressing up as a clown this Halloween, I’ve the perfect pair of shoes he can borrow!

Fiona (actor), Chris (musician), and Lara (producer) all turned out to be pretty cool…click on their names to see for yourself. I’ve got big shoes to fill…but I think I’ve finally found the footwear to get me there!