Alana Smith
I found some new “mom shoes” this weekend. They are flat, slip-on Sperry’s. You don’t even have to tie any laces. I am calling them my “boat shoes,” although we do not have a boat. They are the perfect shoes for chasing a small child.
I’m really excited about them, mostly because they were $6 at our local thrift store. You can’t even get a latte for six bucks anymore, so these were a steal.
I love a good thrift store. I go in with no expectations, and I come out with four books for two dollars. Or I’ll stumble upon the perfect glass container for putting my detergent pods in (for fifty cents!). I have the same feelings toward antique stores (most are not filled with actual antiques, but I like them anyway). Maybe I love the treasure hunt factor. Or the I-don’t-bring-my-kids-with-me factor. Or the bargain shopping factor. Or just the relaxing factor, as I mosey up and down the aisles without anyone asking me for anything.
I think it’s mostly that there are hidden stories here. Used books and furniture. Old baskets and lamps. Antique mugs and vases. Old toolboxes and paintings. Matching sets of Pyrex that likely cooked hundreds of casseroles. These shoes.
Were these shoes loved? They aren’t really that old, but they looked a little beat-up when I got them. Nothing the washer and a dry eraser couldn’t fix, though. Or were these shoes just not the right fit in their previous life? Maybe they rubbed the person the wrong way, so out they went. And that’s the best part to me. They didn’t end up in the garbage. They ended up on my tired feet. These shoes got a second chance.
And I think people are kind of like this. We walk through so many phases of life — trying on others and seeing who fits. Teenage friends. First loves. Real loves. Work friends. Mom friends. We might not be a good fit on the first try. We might rub someone the wrong way, or they us, and we choose to distance ourselves (maybe for now or maybe forever). We try on some new shoes. Your relationships might be comfortable and broken in, or one might be rubbing a blister every time you step.
But I think, whether you’re the person putting out the old shoes or you’re the old shoes in one situation, you still have a story to tell.
A different direction or purpose. A second chance.
Someone’s opinion of you shouldn’t define your journey. Because the good thing about opinions is that everyone has one, and they aren’t all the same. One person may think you aren’t a good fit, but when you least expect it, someone will scoop you up and say, “Look at these shoes!”
Alana is a nurse anesthetist, writer and boy mom (ages 8 and 3), who lives in north Shelby County with her husband, kids and Boxer, Sam. When she’s not writing or chasing little humans, she can usually be found in the aisles of Target. She shares her writings at Holy Moly Motherhood (on Facebook and Instagram), where she takes on all things motherhood and marriage.
