What Your Shoes Say About You

Recently a friend posted a blog about what your clothes, shoes, or car says about the owner. A sort of statement of comfort, reliability, employment, or circumstance. While I, as most girls, live in a variety of shoes, I have to say the one's that mean the most to me, are my Adidas. My mom bought these white shoes, with blue stripes for me before I moved to NYC. She said I needed good walking shoes. This was before I realized the supply line shame in the majority of the name brands such as Nike, Reebok and the lot. Anyways, these shoes remind me of the comfort, support and stability, as well as fashion that my friends and family have provided me with throughout my nomadic journey.

These shoes have provided exactly what I needed in the most important aspects of my life. They have gotten me up mountains to hill-tribe villages in Burma. Steep terrain and rice terraces to ancient hidden temples, kept me from spraining an ankle jumping off an elephant, and protected me from hookworms when I had to wade through a flooded town in order to get to my laundry lady (I never made it to her, the water came to mid thigh and I decided to turn back and hand wash what I had left instead of risk an infection). These shoes have also seen sorrow. They adorned my feet while I woke early and rode in a silent car and motorbike parade to hike the slippery slopes of 5 leveled waterfall in search of a missing friend.

Aside from those adventures, they also served the purpose of fun. Running on the track and playing soccer with the locals in my town in Thailand, keeping toilet water from my feet in a third world train, and relaxing walks with my Sophie at the dog park. These shoes have seen the world.

These shoes have been to over 7 countries, and they have the wear to prove it. These white classy shoes are now brown and torn from all of their adventures. These shoes have been comfortable, cute, and resourceful, and although these "slave made" shoes are tainted with blood, tears and lost childhoods, they also served the purpose to restore some hope in those of similar lot.

I guess what my shoes say about me is that I am adventurous and live life to the fullest. I don't place high value on material things and am very caring, as even though my shoes are dirty and torn, they are 4 years old. And so, with my dad's work account, and a nagging friend who says, I "can't be a gypsy forever and need to settle down," I retired my battered, beaten and torn Adidas for some $130 New Balance black and trainers. I never liked this brand before, but they are Fair Trade, free for me, and cute, so we shall try them out and say "farewell" to the old faithful blues.

For more information on Supply Line's of your favorite products and Fair Trade, check out: http://www.free2work.org