Not My Proudest Purchase

Sometimes, even a shoe-whore makes regrettable choices in footwear. In my case, these are purely out of necessity. Our upcoming Jamaica trip (61 days!) requires me to have shoes that will allow me to hike rivers, waterfalls, and rocky shorelines. There are only a few options for this – the full on water shoes, which are uncomfortable as hell, especially when rocks, sand, shells, etc. get in them. Crocs are also a possibility – but unless you work in healthcare, those should never be worn in public. Ever. Then there are these – the Teva-style sandals. They are ugly as sin, but the lesser of the 3 evils. I was embarrassed to purchase them. I tried these on at the back of the shoe section, where no one was at, carried the box close to my chest so no one could see what they were, and I looked the other way at the register while the cashier checked them to verify they match. They were cheap though ($17ish), so I don’t feel bad about spending tons of money on something I don’t actually want.  And, I won’t lie, they’re comfy. Very much so, really. But so many hideous shoes are – that doesn’t make them any more fashionable or mean that they should be worn on a regular basis. Sadly, being in Colorado, I see more than my share of these every day. At the grocery store, restaurants, etc. I want to say "Just Stop!" to those who wear them as their normal casual shoes. I may have lost some cred now that I own a pair, but at least I have the sense to wear them only for what they're meant, and you'll NEVER see me wear them with socks. There ought to be a law.