A discourse on practical shoes

Maybe it's my age, but the way I choose shoes now is vastly different from how I did it before. Just a year ago I would always wander off to the flashiest section of a shoe store, giving the flats and boring wedges a wide berth. The higher the heels, the more exciting they are to wear. The challenge was fun - maintaining my balance in uneven and slippery flooring, changing from flats at just the right moment, towering over most people.

Now it's not so fun. The turning point was when I was walking down a street with a lot of sloping sides, almost slipping a few times - but not quite. I thought to myself, with a quiet fury that I reserve for those who cut in lines and those who man fastfood telephones, "Why the frick am I doing this to myself?" I don't have to walk in terribly high heels. It doesn't prove anything to anyone except that I'm stupid and prideful.

I'm not saying that I will never buy a pair of high heels again. I most likely will, if only to enjoy the honest beauty of a well-made and beautiful pair of shoes. I would even walk in them for a couple of hours if I want to feel extra tall or pretty. But now I'm just more conscious about a purchase like that. I'll probably only get one out of five pairs I buy.

I guess I'm just more practical now. When one is young it's a lot easier to be excited and superficial. I'm 25, but I'm not a young person. I'm too old for regular doses of excitement and superficiality. They are bad for my digestion.

I would rather go for wedges now and reasonable heels with stable platforms. Shucks, I even got sandals last month. I almost never buy sandals. And I wear FitFlops whenever I can get away with it! The other day I got these new wedges from Ferretti, something classic and elegant, lightweight and just three inches high.

Something I can do the groceries in, yet would still look good with dressier outfits.

This is a style that I wouldn't have looked twice at last year, but now it's perfect for my life. I'm still as vain as ever. I just apply that vanity where it counts (if it counts).