Nice Shoes!

I am of the opinion that if you are going to show up for a sport dressed head to toe in that sport's paraphernalia, you had better be good. Arrive at the bowling alley with an engraved ball, fancy bag, name on your shirt and support brace up to your armpit--I hope you can really bowl. Show up for tennis looking like you've just stepped off the pages of Sports Illustrated, I hope you've got game. Based on that, I am not qualified to fully gear up for any sport so I tend toward low key. 

Good news- I wore out my running shoes! A good opportunity to make a well thought out purchase, I set out with an open mind. After trying on about 20 pairs, I chose these:

Do these look low key to you?

I would normally pass these by because I am not a super-runner. I trot. People who trot should not wear neon colored running shoes. But of every pair I tried, these fit best, had the best support, had great online reviews and were on sale for a fair, not dirt cheap, price. Perhaps no one would notice ...

Wrong-o. I wore them around the house for a few days to break them in. "Nice shoes, mom," my daughter smirked. No matter. I made a good decision, they shoes felt great. I wore them to Kroger where I ran into a friend. "Nice shoes!" Was she making fun of me, too? I kept looking down at my neon covered feet. Are they cool? If I am going out in running shoes, I will also be wearing exercise pants, black, and my black jacket. Dressed in black, when the eye hits my shoes, it's a jolt. Not cool.

During our recent Vegas trip, I knew there would be lots of walking and I had hoped to work out so the running shoes were my footwear of choice. Plus, the neon would blend in on the streets of Vegas so no one would notice. "Nice shoes" a homeless person commented. "Nice shoes" from the tour ticket seller. From the guy in the Batman costume, the hostess at Margaritaville, and various passersby. "Nice shoes." I heard it dozens of times. In Vegas, people clamor to be noticed. Not me, I like to fly under the radar. In these shoes, though--I felt like a show pony. 

I have two choices. I can try to run faster and better to live up to my neon shoes or I can just go with it. I love these shoes (Asics Gel Lyte 33, by the way), so I think I just answer the next "nice shoes" with a cheerful, "Thanks!"