I have a thing for shoes.  But it’s not what you might think.

It’s easy to like shoes… to want shoes… to find shoes… if you’re a size 7 (women’s).  If you happen to wear a 10 1/2 (women’s) resign yourself.  You’ll never find anything good.  10s are too small.  11s are too big.

Eight years ago I found a pair of pink Chucks on the sale rack at DSW.  Today we part ways.  My new black Chucks have arrived.

black and pink chucks

These pink Chucks and I have walked a lot of miles together.

Here I am in 2009 three-months pregnant (and tired) in San Francisco in my pink shoes:

pink Chucks in San Francisco

You know what’s not good for A LOT of walking?  Like MILES of walking (because you don’t know how to use public transportation)?  Chuck Taylors.  I finally figured out how to read bus routes on this trip (btw).

I don’t think I’ve felt this sad about changing out shoes since I replaced my Doc Martens, which became unserviceable my senior year of college.  I bought those Docs my sophomore year of high school.  Those Docs and I went a lot of places together: fields, rivers, the Leggett’s parking lot in Farmville–all the places a rural kid hangs out in high school.

We even went to senior prom together.

Everything goes with a pair of Doc Martens.  Everything goes with a pair of black Chucks too as demonstrated on my wedding day, which took place in the backyard of my unpainted house.

Wedding day

As much as I hate to say good-bye to my pink All-Stars, I know that dressing for work just got a little easier.