I'm Dreaming of a Shoe Store ...

Day 14

I’m Dreaming of a Shoe Store …

There’s an old-fashioned notion that men can be grouped by the physical qualities in a woman that appeal to them. True or not, it is said that some men are attracted to cleavage, others to a woman’s behind and those that admire a woman’s legs. I think there are three types of women: a jewelry woman, a handbag woman and a shoe woman. I am a shoe woman. I adore shoes.

My challenge dictates that I cannot buy shoes, it doesn’t state that I can’t look. My final holiday return to Parisian (Rochester Hills) was a test of sorts. It is impossible to enter the store and not see shoes. It happens to be clearance time in which tables and tables of shoes are 70% off (and more!). I know this area well. I was afraid to just look, so I held my breath and hustled past but there was this nagging feeling. What was I missing? The prettiest, most comfortable, sexiest shoes ever at 70% off?

I’m dreaming of a shoe store with dozens of pairs of shoes, all in my size, all free …

Dream, schream. It’s time to stop whining and start doing. As kids, if we ever got whiny, my mom would say, “Dry up!” I made that shoe store with all the shoes I already own. I gathered them all from the several places in which they are stored and grouped them by style, season and heal size. I tried on each pair and evaluated for fit, comfort and appeal. I reminisced about where I found each pair and how big the discount was. Several pairs were found at a previous Parisian clearance sale. Hmmmm… were these pretty at one time? Did I ever find an outfit to go with these? Were my feet bigger? I had time to do this because I wasn’t shopping. Or I was …

This is my first category of items to be sorted and stickered. I put my top choices back in my closet where they enjoy more breathing room. They each have a sticker. The questionable pairs now sport a ribbon with an explanation. “Uncomfortable”  “Weird Color”  “Klompy”  I want to remind myself why they are rarely worn. In the end, about half my shoes are in shopping bags. I’ll shop them out if needed, to be sure. There won’t be a limit on the shoes I keep but I do want to know that I am keeping them because I will wear them.

It is absolutely amazing how many pairs of shoes purchased at 70% off (or more!) are in the bag. It’s becoming pretty clear that I am blinded by a sale tag.

 These are in the Shopping Bag, pretty but hard to walk in.

I arranged my own personal shoe store for a "fix."