That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!

"New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes..."
When my daughter was very tiny, she recited this poem by Frida Wolfe at the Kiwanis Arts Festival in Brandon, Manitoba. Even at that early age, she'd soaked up by osmosis, my love...
no, my passion...for shoes.

She practiced this delightful poem for days and nights on end, until it became a part of herself. The day of the performance, wearing a beautiful Mummy-made floor-length empire-line dress with long puffed sleeves and a high neckline, she sat like an angel while I transformed her long, thick shiny blonde small-girl blunt-cut hair into a big-girl up-do, with toss curls and a full lightly-feathered fringe over her forehead.

Later, that day...
She was, and is, a gorgeous child, and her exquisite face shone as she readied herself to walk along the aisle to the stairs leading to the stage. She stood tall, shoulders back and hands clasped in front of her tummy like her teacher had taught her to do. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to recite her beloved poem in a crystal-clear voice:

Choosing Shoes
by Frida Wolfe

New shoes, new shoes,
Red and pink and blue shoes.
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they'd let us buy?

Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty pointy-toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.

Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy-dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps-a-little-tight shoes,
Like some? So would I.

BUT

Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That's the sort they'll buy.

Taking a final deep breath, she smiled a tiny relieved smile and quickly danced down the stairs from the stage to our seats in the auditorium.
"I remembered it ALL!" she whispered.

Yes, darling child, you certainly did!
And many years later, she still knows that poem off by heart.
And, many years later, she also has an insatiable craving for pretty shoes.
Comes from her father's side of the family, I think.
His gene pool, not mine...

I thought a lot about my darling little girl, her poem and her continued penchant for lovely shoes while I was in Kingsway Shoe Comfort yesterday, trying on shoes for my upcoming trip.

I had a hankering for Privos Step, you see, a dainty and pretty Mary Jane flat. I've posted a photo of that shoe at the top of this page, so you'll understand why I wanted them so much.

I tried them on and they hurt my feet!
I tried on a half-size larger and they were sloppy when I walked.

I tried and tried, wearing each size around the store for about 10 minutes, when I finally and gracelessly gave up the dream of wearing these lovely shoes on my trip.

I have a non-negotiable shoe rule...if the shoes aren't comfortable enough to wear them out of the store for the remainder of the shopping day, then they aren't coming home with me.

Sadly, I asked to try on another pair, Privos Float.
The store owner brought them out in their purple shoe box, removed the lid, unfolded the silver tissue and handed me the shoes. Listlessly I slid my feet into the flat, unpretty shoes.

Standing, I shifted from foot to foot.
I shifted again...
I smiled.
"These feel like I'm wearing my 'jammies!" I told the owner.

I walked around inside of the store for a few minutes, then paid for the shoes and wore them out of the store, and for the next 11 hours of shopping, lunch, more shopping, and finally for the long drive home.

These might not be the prettiest of shoes.
Heck, they even might be called 'flat shoes, fat shoes, stump along like that shoes', but who cares?
They feel fantastic on my feet!

Another pair of comfortable walking shoes to add to my suitcase. Shoes that cradle my feet and leave me at the end of the day with feet that feel like they just got out of bed.
That's a good thing, I think.
I think my daughter would approve!