There once lived a little girl by the name of Nancy.  She was a happy and active little girl.  She loved to walk everywhere she went.  She would walk to the neighbor’s house to say “hi”.  She would walk around her local block where she lived.  She would walk to the dairy bar to get herself an ice cream. She would even walk herself to school and back home again.  She would walk to the library to check out her favorite book.    Everyone in the neighborhood knew who she was.  Walking made Nancy a very happy little girl.  

Nancy had her favorite pair of shoes that she would put on every morning when she woke up.  These particular pair of shoes were her walking shoes.  These shoes have seen rain, mud puddles, an occasional stomp on an old full soda cup and many, many miles of sidewalks.  These shoes have been around for quite a long time almost too long.  These shoes were getting so tight on her growing feet that her toes were wearing down the tips of them.   They used to be white canvas style shoes with your typical white shoe lace.  They are no longer white but brown, everywhere they are brown.  Nancy won’t part with them long enough to be cleaned. 

One morning Nancy woke up to find her favorite shoes were missing.  “Oh no” she screamed.  “Where are my shoes?”.  ” They are in your bedroom closet”  said her mother.  “Not those shoes,  my shoes” Nancy replied.  “Your shoes are in your closet”  her mother repeated.  “Mother! My walking shoes.”  Nancy yelled again.  “Those shoes are in the wash” said her mother.  Nancy, in a near panic, ran as quickly as she could to the basement,  where the washer and dryer is located.  She opened the top of the washer there was nothing in it.  She opened the dryer door and there they were her favorites shoes.  She reached in to grab for them.  She felt what she thought was just a canvas cleaning cloth.  She pulled it out to get it out of her way when she discovered it was part of one of shoes.  Her heart started racing with fear, one of her shoes has fallen apart.  She was shaking and was starting to cry.  These shoes were not replaceable, they could never be replaced.  Why did her mother have to wash them?  How was she going to walk without her favorite shoes?  She reached into the dryer, a second time, and pulled out the other shoe.  This shoe was okay.  It was no longer brown nor smelly.  It was actually white and smelled kind of nice. 

Nancy went back to her room with her surviving favorite shoe.  She did not walk that day.  She stayed in her room all day staring out her window and holding her favorite shoe.  Her mother told her she would buy her another pair just like her favorite ones.  Nancy did not want another pair.  She was lost if she could not wear her favorite shoes.  

When Nancy stopped crying, she started thinking.  She decided to continue her walks wearing just  the one   favorite shoe.  Everyday she would continue to wear her favorite shoe along with a different shoe of her choice.  Nancy now wears two different shoes when she walks.   Nancy walks and walks wearing her one favorite shoe.