It’s interesting to me how things change as you get older. Some foods I liked as a child I no longer like and some food I hated as a child I now love. Tastes in clothes, music, movies, and even activities change with age. When I was a gangly teenager, I hated shopping for shoes.

It was horrible. I’m sure it was because we were number one: on a tight budget so we shopped at Payless, and number two: I had extra large feet. No matter how cute a shoe looked on the box, in a picture, or even on the floor next to my foot….as soon as I put it on it became an aircraft carrier. I was so very self conscious of my large feet. I would rather have gone barefoot the rest of my life than buy shoes. Whatever shoe was ‘in style’ at the time either didn’t come in my size or was so severely distorted by being stretched to my size that it no longer resembled anything close to stylish.

As I grew older, I started finding shoes at other stores besides Payless and found that there were actually a few shoes in my size that weren’t completely ugly. The funny thing is that most of them were sexy stilettos with 4-6 inch heels. I have to wonder at this. I can’t remember the last time I saw a vertically challenged woman with size 11 feet. I’m sure I would have noticed anyone with this strange condition because they would look like a walking right angle. Their feet would be approximately as long as they were tall. With the lack of women like that, I can’t really understand why there are so many large, high shoes.

I have to admit that I enjoy wearing high heels….in front of a mirror. They do look quite nice on my long legs. Its when I attempt to actually walk about town with them on that the problem comes in. I like being tall, but when I put on heels and I tower over most of the men around…it is a bit much. It can also be dangerous (see previous giraffe post).

All this being said, I have finally learned to like shoe shopping. I went on such an excursion saturday with my sister, nieces and daughter. We went to our (my) favorite shoe store and tried on ridiculously high heels for half an hour. We laughed at some of the crazy colors and designs and did our own catwalks in the back of the store. Q was amazing in almost every shoe. She probably wears a size 4 in kids so it was especially great when she would comment on how comfortable a shoe was. Her tiny foot fit in the toe part of the shoe an the heel part went up to almost her knee in the back. It was very cute. I’m sure we are starting her addiction to shoes at a tender young age.

I may not have matured in a lot of areas in my life, but I feel like I’m getting close in the shoe department. I no longer hate shoe shopping, I have acquired a closet full of fantastic shoes that almost all get worn at some point in the year, and I have now come to grips with the fact that I don’t have to purchase every pair of awesome boots or black heels that turn my eye. I left two pair at the store yesterday like that. I’m sure I will dream about them and the fun we would have had together….but I have to be strong. At least until tomorrow when I run back over to the store and get them. Nobody else better have bought them! Cause I said so……

photo from : http://www.lindagrimes.com/2012/03/what-kind-of-shoe-are-you.html