Shoes are a great way to learn about someone. Yes, they cover their icky, dirty, smelly feet. But beyond that is a greater meaning. Shoes can tell you everything about a person, they can bring back memories. Sometimes, they’re needed to cover up that icky, dirty, smelly part of the person that you wish not to see, or to reveal even more of the splendid, miraculous stuff that you are so glad that you saw. In plain English, shoes are great, for other worldly reasons as well as those small issues we all face right now. 

I remember, about a year ago, being in Virginia with my family. My grandpa had just died, which proved to be a great loss for the entire family. One person, my cousin Laura, had held up very strongly throughout the entire event, and although it was a struggle, I don’t think she had shed a tear throughout the service. Later, though, her husband fell into the lake near the house. His shoes were all wet, so he decided to go in the basement and get some old shoes of my grandpa’s. Of course, he comes up with grandpa’s old boating shoes on, and we started making jokes about them being ‘Kanye shoes’ and such. Laura, though, began to cry. It wasn’t a jet stream, just a few tears streaming down her cheek. These shoes, to her, brought up such powerful memories, beyond my own comprehension. 

What is it that makes shoes have such strong connections? Perhaps it’s just the simple fact that the person wearing them, they went into the shoe store, and chose these shoes compared to the hundreds of other pairs they could’ve worn. The shoes describe them, their personality, who they want to be. If they wear bright, vibrant sneakers, it shows they are a cheerful, most likely outgoing person. Someone wearing flip flops, especially through the middle of a cold, barren winter, probably loves the summer and looks forward to it with passion. It’s these little details, what you see in a shoe, that make them belong to you. 

Perhaps there is a shoe, very common, found at any Macys, JC Penny’s, or Ross. You’ve seen at least five different people wearing that same shoe, although four out of the five are complete strangers. Whenever you look at someone and realize they are wearing that shoe, though, you think of your friend, the one who loves these shoes, and has told you the story behind getting them. Every time you see someone wearing those shoes, you think, hey, maybe we have some compatibility, since me and my friend do, perhaps I should start a conversation with them. Most likely you won’t, but there is always that feeling, that feeling of connection you share with that person. 

It’s the memories, the memories you have with your own pair of shoes, and the memories you had with other people who were wearing those shoes that count. I remember in first grade, I wanted the awesome light-up sneakers for the longest time. I finally got some, and they were amazing for about a week, until the battery went out. Then they were just another pair of boring, ordinary shoes, yet I still remember those sneakers seven years later, so not quite as average or normal as I thought the day that the light went out. 

So next time you see someone, whether stranger or friend, notice and take into consideration what shoes they are wearing. Maybe you will see a hidden meaning in those shoes, a hidden meaning in the person, a connection stronger than any before. You’ll notice a lot, have a better understanding for the person, and have another bit of connection, just by taking consideration of what is being worn on their feet.