There are billions of shoes in this world. Different sizes, shapes, colors. Shoes are designed for every day wear, special occasions, sports, and weather. Some shoes have matches, much to the dismay of children who can’t decide which pair to wear and wish to settle for both. Shoes can be uncomfortable and sometimes we are forced to wear them even while we scream the entire time they are donned, the socks bunched up at the toe. They can put us in a bad mood. Favorite shoes can lift our spirits and brighten our day. There are those of us who prefer not to wear shoes at all.
Once, there was a little girl and a pair of shoes so glamorous that even though they did not fit right away, she waited patiently with the hope that one day they would. At the age of four, she anticipated the day when her feet could fill a Women’s Size 9. Tucked under an arm, the shoes snoozed while she slumbered.
She aged ever so slowly. She wore other shoes. She had favorites, but she coveted this particular pair. She tried them on every day when she woke up, hoping for change. “One day, any day now,” she thought. She turned five. She turned six. Her feet grew, but somehow they were never the perfect size.When she was in the fifth grade, her feet stopped growing.
The shoes never did fit this little Women’s Size 7 “Cinderella.” It was disappointing to discover that all of this waiting had been in vain. “How could these heels tease me for so many years?” “Maybe they were not meant to be mine.” “Am I an evil stepsister, attempting to shove my feet into an unattainable dream?” Is it worth achieving success if you cut off your toes in order to fit into a life not suited for you?
There are many paths in life, many shoes to choose. We wear the shoes we are given until we grow out of them. Sometimes we don’t grow into the pair of shoes we dream of, but we can run along the path barefoot while we chase another.
–SJB