Remember the scene in Good Morning Vietnam (1987) when Robin Williams talked about women in comfortable shoes? I was thinking about it the other day when I was walking to lunch from my office. I had gotten behind a group of twenty-somethings also going to lunch. Two boys and a girl. The girl had on a tight-fitting business suit and these really high heeled shoes that made an awful clop, clop, clop sound on the sidewalk as she walked. She was trying so hard to keep up with the boys. It did not look easy. In fact, my feet hurt just watching her awkward stride. I started to reflect on my own footwear. I remember when I used to wear shoes that hurt just so I could impress others. By 2 o'clock my feet hurt so much that I would cringe if I had to walk very far around the office. But I wore them anyway because they "went with the outfit". However, now I consistently wear three pairs of shoes and they are all comfortable shoes. I asked myself that day on the sidewalk... when did I become the non-lesbian woman in comfortable shoes? And what does that say about me? After a long lunch with my feet up I determined, that as I have matured my tolerance for torturing myself has grown very thin. I am secure in my footwear choices. They don't define who I am or what I like. They make my feet happy and therefore, I am happy.
