Monday, March 30, 2009

I'd rather be fishin'

Out of desperation I forced myself to go shoe shopping yesterday afternoon. I went to the first store and let me tell you it was no carnival. There were many choices but none that were just what I needed. I wanted a dressy casual, which means I am more interested in comfort than beauty. But I don't want plain old ugly either! My one hard fast rule which I will not break, the shoe must be comfortable. I do not want to grow into it or break it in. By the time they are "broke in" they are ugly and I have had all the pain for nothing.
The very nice young lady who was helping me (bless her heart) showed me a pair she thought were dressy yet comfortable. Just for a moment I felt my eyes glaze over. I had to bite my tongue, it is still a little sore. Okay, maybe a sixteen year old would have considered them nice dress ups. But truly they were nothing more than high heeled black tennis shoes with a white heart on the toe and a white racing stripe in the side. Please, please, puhleeeze!
I did find some nice looking dress shoes, the problem is they had four inch heels. I am not interested entertaining the masses as I fall and possibly break something fragile, like my neck. They did have in stock several pair of very comfortable sandals which generally looked like something John the Baptist has worn for a tromp or two through the desert. Something made from the very latest in camel hide. Which of course does not go well with dressy black slacks.

I gave up on that store and went to one of the big mall stores, one with an outside entrance so I would not have to walk a mile to locate the shoe department. I picked out three pair and waited for the overworked salesperson to acknowledge my very existence. "I would like these in black size seven and a half please." When he returns he says none of those come in that size but I brought them all in size seven and eight. What a surprise, the sevens were too tight and the eights were too loose. "Well, you can buy these little insert things to take up the extra space." Again with the blank stare and the tongue biting!
I tried several pair of a brand with the word "comfort" in it. Who are they trying to kid! Okay, more comfortable than walking on nails perhaps. But until my pinkie toe is surgically removed with plenty of anesthesia I prefer not to torture it.
Finally, after an exhausting marathon I finally settled on a pair which I did not actually like but which are fairly comfortable. You could also say they are only slightly uncomfortable, depends on how you look at it. Of course they were not the ones which were on sale but at least my toe is not bleeding. One pair down now I just need a pair of John the Baptist's hand me downs and I will be set for the summer.
Now you know why I had rather be fishing!

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