Sensible Shoes

I bought a pair of black, sling back, peep toe shoes to wear to a wedding last month. They are plain and passable, and more importantly comfortable, even with a heel. I can walk quickly in them, stand for as long as I need to, and even managed to walk a couple of blocks in Cape May, NJ when one bar closed to get to the next one -- all without wanting to pitch them into the middle of the street, which is a marked improvement from the black, sling back shoes I wore to a wedding in Charleston several years ago which did indeed get pitched.

I have a friend who has a way of giving you a compliment that makes you feel like she's really making fun of you. I also have a pair of pants that are a little too long (despite my homespun hemming -- and really, what giantesses are they making pants for now? I'm 5'7"!) and I need to wear them with at least a small heel. When I wore these shoes, I got this from said friend: "I, um, like your shoes. Very adult -- not stripper kind of adult, just adult".

I had on these pants and therefore these shoes today when I went for my annual physical (as an aside, the LPN just asked me my weight instead of actually taking it -- I love her). When my new best friend nurse was checking my reflexes, she said "Oh, I like those shoes. Very sensible." Now, of course, I'm totally rethinking my initial shopping decision, as I have taken to calling them "my sensible shoes" but certainly didn't expect a stranger to do so.

The final straw was standing in the loooong cafeteria line today in front of a sweet little muffin of a girl who had to be 4 based on the barrage of questions she was throwing both her mom and me. I told her I liked her flip flops, and she hopped up and down making the already outrageously adorable pink flowered things light up in the soles. Then she pointed to her mom's shoes and said "My mom's wearing flip flops and her dress is pretty -- turn around, Mom." (Mom didn't, btw). She then looked at my sensible shoes and said, "You're not wearing flip flops and I don't like those shoes at all".

This is the second time in my career that a 4 year-old has commented on how much they didn't like my footwear -- the last one being a little boy (who thought the letters on my name tag spelled "Brooke plays with trucks") who looked at me completely out of the blue and said, "Never wear those shoes again."

I'm thinking I might take his advice.