The Eyes Of Your Sole(s)

One of the first things I notice about a person upon first meeting is- their shoes. They tell me way more about a person than their eyes- any lying liar can tell me whatever they want with their eyes. But their shoes are a whole different ballgame- shoes don't lie. Just think about it, they're the first things to come between you and the planet you deal with, the terra firma that spawned, nurtured and defined you. They reveal more about you than any damn photographic portrait- that's for damn sure! Your temperament, politics, favorite movie- they're all right there between your toes.

I've worn some variety, shape or form of sneaker most my life. High tops, low tops, canvas and leather of many styles, colors and brands- many fairly cheap, many fairly expensive. I walk- a lot. Many sneakers today, particularly the better made ones are both prohibitively LOUD, as well as prohibitively expensive for an aging person of non-means as myself. Recently, I took to wearing inexpensive canvas sneakers which when I was considerably younger were quite well built and durable- these days they are built so shabbily that I actually had to buy gel insoles to enhance their napkin thin soles. 

Of course, the very concept of buying insoles for... sneakers is well beyond insanity! So thinking outside the box, I decide to get some desert boots. Fairly stylish these days, and they have those nice, springy, cushiony, natural kinda soles. I'm in! And to make things even sweeter, I even got a brand new pair of gel soles to go with 'em- that's right, Stan's gonna ride high and live large once again! And the whole of the following week I'm draggin' my feet home with whatever's left of me- those freakin' shoes are the largest energy drags I've ever placed upon my body.

Nike Free 3.0 V5 (wish the soles were dark- but, hey...)

So back to the drawing board I go, when I see this pair of running shoes. Now I usually steer clear of running shoes- 99.99% of them are the absolute fugliest clown wear ever placed atop this earth. I don't care what they feel like. But these looked different, they didn't have a thousand stars, stripes and gyrations clashing about them every which way in every fluorescent color not humanly imaginable, they weren't clumsy, they weren't awkwardly pointy- in fact, they were pretty understated, classy even...

So I went to Uncle Amex, who always smiles upon his children, and ordered me up a pair. And, oh dear lord, the saints delivered!!! These shoes are a pair of heaven itself! Light as the literal feather and comfort beyond reckoning; it's not that my feet get less tired- they just don't get tired... period! At all! I feel like I'm twenty five again (at least my feet do). And no damn photo ever made me feel that good!