Forrest Gump says you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes.
My dad told me once, in an airport when I was five, that you could tell the difference between Americans and Europeans by their shoes.
So what do my Tevas say about me? I bought them in the summer of 2009 while working with over-caffeinated middle schoolers in Overland Park. This is what they looked like new:
and what they look like now:
Let’s make this a fun game of “Spot the Differences!” See if you can find:
-teeth marks from a stray dog in Malaysia (a miraculous recovery. Chandler’s Rainbows weren’t so lucky…)-black thread holding the ankle strap intact from said dog attack-paint spots from working on the mural in Ukraine-chipped and cracked leather from my Rwandan family washing the Rwandan dirt off the insoles. every single day.-loose threads from catching on dry grasses in Nepal-dark areas from unspeakable amounts of sweat-the complete absence of the flower pattern on the soft leather insole
If I’d bothered to take pictures of the bottoms, you’d see that the flower-patterned rubber soles have long been worn flat. These shabby hobo shoes have been everywhere with me, and they’re still comfortable. While searching the company website for a “before” picture (I’m not in the habit of photographing my shoes…) I noticed that part of their logo calls their customers to “Live Better Stories.” And if this is the only post of mine you’ve read from this year, maybe the state of my Tevas alone proves I’ve done what their logo asked. Though it’s possible that they had majestic mountain trails more in mind than dusty slums.
I’m not sure how much longer these sandals will last… maybe until the first available trash can at JFK airport. All of these Romanians seem to know what my dad knew 19 years ago. Whenever we get on the city bus, someone will glance at my shoes, and then turn away in burning judgment. I laugh to myself a bit, thinking, “Yes, I’m American. But I wish you could see where I’ve been in these things.”
-Katie
