Once upon a time there was a pair of Old Shoes

I own a pair of old shoes and I've had them since late 2005.  i assume that's pretty old in shoe years since most are tossed or handed down in a year or so after being bought or acquired. i have become quite attached to them. seems to me that once i become attached to something, i tend to hold on to it. these shoes are no different.

they are a pair of Chuck Taylors I bought at a Hot Topic in Puerto Rico. although, i was initially drawn to them by nostalgia; i was quickly met with plenty of skepticism and a little doubt; considering my very first and only pair prior to these were black and these were clearly not. admittedly, i was captured by their uniqueness but i was quickly put off by their size. since they were the only pair left, they called to me and when i saw they were on sale, they sang. i felt compelled to rescue them from a fate worse than death.

these are only half

for a while, I only wore them every once in awhile; when I felt the occasion called for them. they were in good shape for at least a year or so, the average amount of time a pair of shoes tend to keep. considering my collection of footwear was comprised of several other types of shoes to include various styles of heels, boots, sandals, and running shoes, i was able to rotate the use of my shoes.

unlike my mother...
not until i was on my own, did i own more than 5 pairs of shoes. growing up, i remember having the bare essential. i also recall walking around barefoot for the most part; in turn i had rough, calloused feet. my daughter has now followed in my proverbial footsteps; we both own several pairs of shoes but prefer not wearing any. i do favor a pair of flip-flops that are the warm weather counterpart to the Chucks.

these guys look like they're in for the long haul

on a side note, i had a pair of flip-flops i wore till they literally gave out. in addition, every pair since then i have ran into the ground out of sheer over use. i am partial to walking around sans shoes but there are somethings that prevent this "au naturel" way of life.

but why a story of aging geriatric shoes?

after my daughter was born, i out grew many pairs of shoes, some of which were favorites of mine. no longer being able to wear a 7 to 7 1/2, i firmly became an 8. i slowly and sadly weeded out my dress shoes and tenuously replaced them with time. but as far as casual, nondescript, it soon came down to these:

Adidas that my ex gave me

Reebok my mom sent me

my military boots which came in both black leather & desert suede

and of course my beloved Chucks. 

my CTs soon became my primary pair of cold weather shoes. as of recently, no matter how much i wash them they remain dingy. the inside has become worn from my laziness; i wear them loose enough to slip on or off so i do not have to tie or untie my laces. with winter coming and the CTs becoming less comforting and more saddening, i began keeping an eye out for a pair of replacements especially when i could no longer ignore the deterioration. they were getting old and tattered and in serious need of retirement. i wasn't having any luck finding a pair versatile enough to replace them. this was not the first time i had thought to replace them, i tried once before but was unable to conform to the new pair.

bought these guys at JCPenny

as of now, I've settled into a pair of Keds quite nicely. again i got a size slightly bigger than i wear but they have grown on me, i don't give them a second thought anymore. They are comfy, weren't hard to break in, and im back to not tying my laces again.

lets see how long these lasts?