The Perfect Pair of Shoes
Every few months, we pack into the car and go to Greenville (SC) to hit the mall and do some serious shopping. When the seasons change, Asheville just doesn’t have the goods to feed the monster. While browsing through the Macy’s shoe department, I came upon them. THE shoes. The shoes I saw myself kicking around in all summer long. Red Hula Girl Shoes made by Rocket Dog. Perfect in every way. Bright red, not too orange, not too blue. Big rubber bumpers on both ends to bring back memories of those childhood keds. Cute little grass skirted hula girls and the word “ALOHA” sprinkled throughout. Nothing to tie, just slip ‘em on and wear ‘em anywhere. Perfect. Well, perfect in almost every way. The $39.99 price tag gave me chills even in the warm weather. I must have $$$ for video games. Shoes are my second priority. So I passed on the perfect summer shoes.
I don’t have many regrets in life. My grandmother told me that regrets were the one thing you don’t want to take with you. Ever since I passed up those perfect sneaks I have regretted it. I have thought about those shoes non-stop. I even tried to order them online (since we don’t have a Macy’s in Asheville) and come to find out, they come in many colors, red being “rare”. Fine. Well, after two months of constant regret and periodic searching, I found the very same shoes on Solestruck.com. My heart skipped a beat, my face flushed, and my fingers fumbled to grab my credit card from my wallet even though now I’d be paying over $50 for the dynamic duo. I placed my order assuring myself that soon I would slip those babies on and walk with pride.
A few days later, my Red Hula Girls arrived carried by our neighborhood FedEx man who will not step foot into my yard due to my two large and rowdy canines. I brought the box inside, grabbed the scissors and began to cut the box open. It was double boxed. I cut through the layers of tape, then plastic, removed all the customary paperwork, and at last had the hula girls in my hands. Ah, that new shoe smell. Mmmmm… They were every bit of what I remembered. I flicked off my flip flops and slipped on the shoes. Too small.
Too small? How can this be? I tried them on in the store? My left foot is a full size smaller than my right, so I wondered if maybe I could just grin and bear it. But I came to the realization that this was utter folly. I’d have a black toenail in no time. So I wrapped them up just as they arrived and sent them back.
As if the pain wasn’t enough, we made our semi-monthly trip down to Greenville today and guess what? The very same shoes were on the sale rack and for only $19.99!!! In a frenzy I combed the sale racks, even the smaller sizes (you know how people hide things just in case they want to come back later in the day). They had every size except the 9-1/2’s.
Serves me right.
If the world gives you a “perfect pair of shoes”, buy them. However you define that perfect pair. Missed opportunities leave a sour taste in the soul. If the door opens, step in, and ask questions later.
Great design in daily objects is often overlooked because the object is so well designed that it flows seamlessly into our spaces. Case in point, my $3.99 alarm clock made by Equity. It has everything an alarm clock should and nothing that can’t be done by another type of appliance.
Loading …