“Seriously, Heidi, do you really need 50 pairs of shoes?”
My girlfriend had dropped by for a chat and caught me in my bi-annual shoe-purge. I was sitting on the floor with a huge mound of leather, vinyl, rubber and sequins in front of me. “You don’t wear all of those, do you?” she asked incredulously.
“If the shoe fits,” I quipped, slipping a darling, light teal, bejeweled kitten heel sandal on my foot and waving it in the air. “And there’s not 50 pairs anymore. I’m down to 37.”
“You do realize that you live on a boat?” she laughed.
Yes, I live on a 42 ft sailboat. No, I don’t really have a shoe fetish; I only buy a few pairs a year but I take good care of my shoes and keep them forever. My husband gave up on lecturing me on the fact that high heels really don’t belong on a boat and installed a fabric shoe holder behind my hanging clothes, against the hull. So my collection doesn’t take up needed space and is out of sight. But I know they are there; and that makes me happy.
The majority of my shoes ARE practical. I have shoes and booties specifically for sailing, racing and beach landings that are either mesh or waterproof with good tread. I have a ton of flip-flops in all colors and patterns for dock-wear (I like to be stylish, even at spontaneous happy hour gatherings). There’s a few hold-outs from my Croc-obsession period (I will never, ever get rid of my bright yellow rubber clogs; they have been with me on every ocean journey, and my husband and daughter hate them. *laughing face emoji*). I’ve got boots for winter that I will leave behind when we eventually head south (except for my fuzzy Uggs; those will stay).
And then there are the heels. When I was working in an office setting, I had 20+ pairs in all heights and colors, with six being black. Since moving into semi-retirement and a more casual workplace, I’ve gotten rid of all of the stilettos and most of the wild ones. (I had a pair of hot pink, peek-a-boo-toed beauties that were so dramatic they could only be worn on rare occasions with very particular outfits. God, how I loved them!) I’ve pared down to just four conservative pair that can be pulled out for weddings, funerals and other fancy-schmancy events where Top-Siders aren’t appropriate.
Boat-life is a conscious choice and very different than dirt-dwelling. I willingly gave up many comforts of an actual house for this lifestyle, but have found a way to satisfy my quirky love for a variety of footwear. But it doesn’t end there … just wait til you hear about my costume jewelry collection!
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Written for the To Live and Write October 2021 “Flash Lit ” #1. We were challenged to write a piece of fiction, non-fiction or poetry of 500 words or less, inspired by the prompt, “If the Shoe Fits.” We’ll complete a piece every 3 days for a total of 10 in October. Hope over to the website to view other writer’s creativity in the Flash Lit Collective!
Vivo O Sonho 