Walking on Thin Ice

Mincing steps in flat shoes or boots make for painfully slow progress through the seemingly endless New England winters and this year has been exceptionally long. Ugly footwear is an abomination. Practical, sensible, and waterproof…yech.

David the fabulous shoe repair man has once again added special soles and rubber heels to my gorgeous red sandals in preparation for the sun and as a respite from the slush. It was a very close call the last time I avoided a swan dive to the cement. David is sensible. I am less so. He thinks about safety. I lament the fact that I am forced to forego beauty for practicality.

What’s the big deal? Accept the fact that winter is something to get through, or is it? Another transition? Why the annual tug-of-war, knowing full well that the choice is dry feet in ugly shoes or wet and salt-damaged shoes that will need full-scale rehabilitation post-season?

Lest you think I am scampering about in full summer attire, think otherwise. I am not that foolhardy. No, this struggle is strictly a shoe thing, an ongoing battle with the elements and the limitations it places on my choices.

By next year I will have a plan in place that does not require relocating to warmer climes, although that sounds very appealing. It may require a larger purse or even a support group of others weary of winter. Come to think of it, a new purse could be just the ticket out of “Shoe Affective Disorder.”

© 2015 Maureen Weisner

#winterwear #NewEngland #boots #seasonal #transition #shoes