(This post will make much more sense if you read this one from summer 2007.)
Once upon a time, the shoe on the left looked like the shoe on the right. It was a replacement shoe, for the first pair had been worn mighty thin after a few years in college. The shoe was honored to step into the role of primary sandal and happily boarded a plane to Maryland to go live with a boy. All the other shoes (and clothes and craft supplies) were packed into three suitcases and a cardboard box and had to ride under the plane.
For three years, the shoe lived in Maryland. And let's be honest, didn't get out as often as it would have liked. But the summers were hot, and thank goodness for that. On some summer days (and a few still-too-cold-spring ones when the owner was fooling herself) the shoe took the metro into DC and walked from Dupont to Georgetown (where it was tucked into a bag until the workday was done) and then the shoe walked back to Dupont and rode the Metro back home again. The shoe was honored to spend some time during those warm months walking around DC and going to BBQs. The shoe felt a bit more special on the East Coast, where it was somewhat of a novelty. In Southern California, the shoe felt like it was always tripping over other people in Rainbows.
In March 2010, the shoe moved back home to California. It watched (if a shoe could watch) with wide eyes all the wedding hoopla. It visited Palm Desert for a bachelorette party and then wandered the hotel on the wedding day until it was time to be set aside for fancy orange heels. No sweat off the shoe's back sole though, because after the wedding, the shoe won favor and was the only shoe to fly all the way to Bora Bora for a honeymoon.
And then, the shoe moved to San Diego. It lived a happy life in that sandals-only town. In fact, based on use, the shoe is pretty sure it was the only option in rotation. It walked to Waterfront. It walked to the gelato place. It walked to the art store. It walked downtown. It walked everywhere it could. It was a pretty great walking year, if you ask the shoe.
In August 2011, after a summer that was cut much too short, the shoe went to LAX to drop off Paul and found itself covered in tears. After that, things slowed down quite a bit. No walks to Waterfront. No walks to the gelato place. (Though there continued to be lots of walks to the art store and many trips to Bar Method.) Thankfully, there were also quite a few drives up to LA and all the way up to Sacramento to keep the shoe occupied.
Then in December, the shoe realized another dream when it stepped out of the car and onto the beach. Yep. A beach. Real sand for real sandals. Pretty exciting for that old shoe.
And now, the shoe on the left enters retirement and the shoe on the right has the painful pleasure of being broken in. The shoe on the left witnessed a lot of change. But the shoe on the right can expect even more during it's predicted five year life span. It's guaranteed many trips (hopefully one to Europe!). It's guaranteed a few moves. It will more than likely be the shoe that meets a little one. Yep, the shoe that will have many adventures and see the most change, for sure.
But in the meantime, the shoe on the right is the shoe that gets to enjoy summer twenty twelve in the sunshine. It's the shoe that loves the beach. It's the shoe that will spend time out in the tiny garden, waiting impatiently for the tomatoes to be ripe enough to eat.
authors note : the original shoe post is one of my favorites. Writing this one was just as enjoyable. I am about to break in my third pair of rainbows (since 2004) and as odd as it sounds, they really measure the passing of time for me. In the past year, I have definitely expanded my shoe choices and found some great dressier sandals and flats, but I know I'll still be buying rainbows every four-five years for the next few decades. It's crazy to think about how when everything else changes, the shoes will stay the same.
enJOY it 
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