I’ve always considered shoes works of art. I chose them for their beauty, having little concern for their function or fit. In truth, I preferred being barefoot to any shoe created. But shoes were beautiful. My heart leapt inside my chest when presented with a pair of sparkling heels.
In my high school days I would sprint down the halls in a pair of beautiful pink pumps on my way to run some errand or other for one of my teachers. Although, being an eighties girl, I was also known to wear loafers and ‘saddle oxfords’ with my izod/polo shirts, a pastel sweater placed over my shoulders in such a well considered manner as to appear casual. College brought black and silver open-toed stilettoes as I walked to class from the dorm. Winter forced me to wear what I considered to be hideous snow-boots. But I survived. Employment brought dress-codes: no casual shoes, closed toes, heels, hose, etc. (Thank God the days of panty hose are far behind us.)
Just before my fifties I discovered CrossFit. And with that came lifting shoes and running shoes. And Merrell barefoot shoes. Where had these been all my life? These were my favorite shoes for years. Then, at 55 I got married and moved to Colorado! I had been visiting for about 2 years. During this time I invested in a pair of Merrell Hiking Boots and recently bout a pair of Merrell trail runners. Form and function. Are hiking boots beautiful? No. Are my trail runners pretty? I would say yes. The creators of these two shoes are craftsmen. Artisans. Never have I loved a pair of shoes such as these-not even my first pair of yo-yo heels which made be feel like a princess compare.
These functionally magnificent shoes do not make me feel like a princess, but I do feel spectacular. When I slip them on and tie the strings, my mind prepares itself for adventure. Wildlife trails, mountain trails, rivers, streams, waterfalls, and parks. Elk, deer, and moose. Wildflowers, snow, ice (spikes fit perfectly over the hiking boots.) Peace and Adventure! This is where the most wonderful shoes I’ve ever placed upon my feet have been with me. They didn’t take me, of course. I took them. But perhaps they did take me after all; for they prepared my mind and my heart for the adventures ahead.
Life itself is an adventure. The trails and roads we journey do not end just because we reach a certain age. No! They go on. And we go on with them. A great pair of shoes certainly doesn’t hurt!
The Inkwell Collections 