Happy Birthday Gloria

I gave Gloria her birthday present a few days early this year. She got it yesterday, just after we finished hours of yardwork and home improvement. Instead of giving her something, I took something away - threw something away actually - my favorite shoes.

I love these black slip on shoes. A mix of leather and mesh, super comfortable with an extra sticky sole. I wore these all the time. They were my old standards... until Gloria found them as the culprit of the black marks on our tile.

When we first moved in, the tiles were all marked up. The previous occupants were a family with a dog and two kids. No pristine tiles in our house. Then I found the amazing Magic Eraser and hope was restored. The black marks were banished... that is, until I started to regularly wear my favorite shoes. And then they returned.

At first, Gloria's attacks on my shoes were small... requests to take them off before I came into the house. I could usually comply - but I'm not a "shoeless in the house" person, so I would forget. I actually like wearing shoes and I'm running around too much to remember to take them off and on when I go in and out. I started coming into the house and going straight downstairs (to my lair) and changing my shoes. But inevitably, I'd have to stop by the kitchen to drop some groceries or mail on the table. She'd catch me again and again, with a rough voice questioning me... "what shoes are you wearing?"

Then I thought I came up with a solution. I would take them over to my boyfriend's house and they could live there. But eventually they ended back in the future.

I promised to clean up the black marks (I was the one who found the magical eraser that erased those horrid marks). And I'd get to it eventually, but things in life distract me, and as much as I like cleaning, I do it in fits and spurts.

I don't like parameters on my living. And my natural inclination in this situation is to go against the required behavior, to express my solidarity. I found myself _wanting_ to wear them inside more. Forgetting to take them off, and absolutely refusing to think that I would throw them out. And Gloria's onslaughts got stronger. And I realized, as much as it's my house to be able to wear whatever I want inside it, it's also her house and she has the desire to not have black marks on the floors.

And then I thought, it's a good excuse to get a new pair of shoes. If I could find a replacement pair, that wouldn't leave black marks, that I would love just as much, then I could stomach throwing out my old favorites (even though nothing is wrong with them and they're not worn out).

So I went to Off-Broadway Shoes on Sunset and found a pair of black leather/suede sketchers. They had cool black and grey soles (I really like to have shoes that have cool soles aka Fluevog), they were comfortable and they seemed to have a strong possibility of being a new favorite. So I took them home and started wearing them - mentally preparing to throw out the old favorites.

It was almost too much to bear. Could I keep the old ones for only yardwork? Permanently ban them to West Hollywood? No, they would just end up back at the future. It was time for them to go.

So this weekend, after one last wearing: planting, raking, weeding, re-roofing, they went in the trash, along with the 15 bags of plant material. Gone, gone, gone. And I promise, I won't sneak down tonight, before the trash man comes in the morning and take them out. Tomorrow, they will be gone from the Future, just in time to celebrate your birthday!

Happy Birthday Gloria!

Comments

[gloria]

I very much appreciate. I grew up in Milan, Italy, when and where people were not so concerned in taking their shoes off before entering their house. They would eventually do it, changing into more comfortable footwear inside the house. So I did. But then I started to travel to other countries, to practice martial arts and to have many Asian friends. For my Japanese and Chinese teachers and friends entering your or somebody else's house with shoes on is very disrepectful. It means bringing in the dirt and chaos from the outer world. So if You'd like to keep a house, a dojo, or any place not only clean but peaceful, you take your shoes off at the door as a sign of respect for the people who live there. It made total sense to me, and I started doing it. The results were immediately visible. Much less dirt on the floor, which is a great advantage particularly when one is not so thoroughly efficient and punctual in mopping the floor with regularity. Particularly when you live in a place like the Future where streets, trails and pathways are dusty and muddy at all time.

[Will Campbell]

You probably already considered this, but if not what about taking them to a shoe shop and having them resoled?

[Jim]

Maybe it's not too late

http://www.jo-ann.com/catalog.jhtml?CATID=82055&PRODID=11371

[Lassie]

In Sweden you also always take off shoes indoors. But ours is a wet and muddy land. In LA, there is less need.

[pinky the first]

Will, that's a good idea, but those were funky-soled shoes, thus not easily re-soled. Kinda like the rubber is molded up the sides.

Heather, you're a stronger woman than I. I cannot release shoes. unless they're 2 sizes too small and I can barely hobble around in them anymore, but need to see them at least once in awhile cuz they're so lavenderlicious!

[Lynda]

Hi, I so understand you being a "house shoe" person since I'm the same way. Your post and the entire blog is wonderful. We met briefly at BlogHer last summer and I'm so glad to stumble upon your blog. Hope all is well and happy 2006.
Lynda
Delight.com