I have already confessed to you my undying love for
TOMS Shoes. When I wrote that post, I owned one pair of TOMS. I now own five. It all started with the original charcoal classics. Then, I bought a pair of black wedges as a You Survived Your First Year Of Grad School present to myself, mostly in preparation for student teaching. In my previous post, I mentioned that the Black Glitters and the Silver Moroccos were on my wish list. I bought the glitters last week, and I did, in fact, wear the Silver Moroccos to my sister's wedding reception.
Why yes, I am aware that my cousin and I look alike. You now owe us both $5.
That was more than enough TOMS. I had
three pairs of flats and a pair of wedges. I was good - TOMS for all occasions. But some time between buying the wedges and buying the glitters, I saw a pair of pretty green classics in the ads introducing TOMS' new summer line. I searched high and low on their site, but I couldn't find them. I resorted to my favorite form of social media - Twitter.
TOMS responded to me! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh. It's like the cute boy talking to me at my locker. I look around to make sure they really means to talk to me. Do they know how much I love them? Do I tell them how much I love them? No no, just be cool, man. Thanks for your help, TOMS. Smile. Walk away. Squeal to all of your friends in private.
But there was another issue here. The shoes were already sold out in pretty much every size that could ever feasibly be considered my size. I was sad, but I put it out of my mind and bought the glitters instead. But then a few days ago while studying at the UWS Whole Foods (one of my favorite places in the city), I saw them. In my size. In all of their glory. Beautiful, slightly blueish green canvas TOMS with a linen finish. I carried them around the store for 30 minutes debating whether or not I needed a fifth pair. I rationalized it by telling myself that I deserved a present for passing my Sign Language Proficiency Interview (oh yeah, update, that happened!). As if I needed to rationalize it - buying a pair of shoes for a child in need was worth it.
Upon looking in my closet when I got home, I immediately felt buyer's remorse. These shoes are GREEN. Every other pair of shoes I own is dark or neutral. These shoes are bright. They aren't going to match 99% of my clothes. What had I done? What on earth was I going to wear these with?
I was immediately reminded of a perhaps unconventional footwear role models, my Great Aunt Dotty, who passed away last summer. Dotty was my grandfather's sister and a wonderfully kind human being. Between her and her husband, there was never a dull moment; they were two of the most interesting people I have ever met. I will always remember Dotty lacing up her red shoes and going birdwatching every morning. In so many ways, those red shoes represented who Dotty was - spunky and independent. Those shoes were reflected in everything she did and everything she was, from her days as a WAVE to the values she instilled in her daughters, who have become very dear to me. The red shoes defined Dotty, and Dotty defined the red shoes.
Red has never been my color, and at this point, even if I wanted to wear red shoes, I could never rock them the way that Dotty did. But maybe these TOMS could be my "red shoes." Green has always been one of my favorite colors - especially blueish greens. To me, green looks natural and compassionate, two things that I like to think I am. A quick google search told me that
green personalities hold themselves to high standards and love food, two things that no one could question about me. But green also reflects balance, something I continually struggle to find.
I am, of course, keeping the shoes, in the hopes that they will remind me that no matter how hectic things are, you have to take time to do something you love every day. Whether it's birdwatching or blog-writing, we all need something to bring a little balance to our lives.
