Today is a special day for me. I am cleaning out my closet and tossing away these old Doc Martens that I bought in 1997. Why is this important? These were the last pair of shoes that I bought solely because they were “trendy” at the time.  Since then, I have bought shoes for no other reason than they appealed to me, whether they were found at Nordstrom or Payless.
Back then, these Doc Martens were all the rage in Los Angeles. The shoes were uncomfortable. They were ugly.  I wore them because they were cool at the time, even though I was probably already too late to be part of the “grunge” scene.
Throughout most of my life, I wore shoes to please others — to fit in — to be one of the crowd. For ten years now, I have steered away from any shoe trends, building enough nerve to make this final step — throwing away these old Doc Martens!
I know many of you are parents of teenagers. I feel for you, as I’m sure the importance of what brand of “sneaker” your child wears is still as important to him today as it was in the past.
Here is my life in “be like others” footwear, up until 1997, when I went into footwear rehab and started freeing myself from the tyranny of the shoed majority. My must-haves begin at an early age — first grade —
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PF Flyers “Center”
Keds
Converse All-Stars
Hush Puppies “Surround”
Adidas “Country”
Puma Clyde Basket
Bass “Yuppie” Penny Loafers (80s!)
Reebok “Classic” Black
Nike Air Jordan
New Balance 801
Doc Martens
Today, I’m wearing sandals I bought at CVS pharmacy.
