Comfortable in My Own Shoes

They were the most beautiful sandals I had ever seen.

Amid the clutter on my best friend’s bedroom floor the three-inch platforms shimmered like Cinderella’s glass slippers. My heart skipped a beat. The exquisite footwear, my sixteen-year-old brain confirmed, would ensure I looked lanky and glamorous on prom night. What did it matter if they fit?

I initiated a frenzied bargaining session wherein I promised to trade anything and everything I owned in exchange for borrowing the sandals. A half-dozen or so tapes and records (yeah, that really dates me) later, they were mine.

On the night of the dance I hurried to my friend’s house. Last minute primping took more time than anticipated. Seconds before our dates arrived I managed to tug the sandals onto my feet and lurch toward the front door. I tried not to panic and reassured myself that since we were to have dinner first I’d have time to practice walking with grace before we got to the dance.

The difficulty I encountered entering the restaurant while assuming a semi-respectable gait was equaled by the difficulty I experienced trying to forget the throbbing pain in my feet.

I wore a size 8 ½. The sandals were a size 6.

To my dismay, we learned our table was on the second floor. I staggered toward the stairs. As my long formal draped the top of the second step I tripped, sprawling into a prone position in front of what seemed to be the entire world.

The rest of the evening was a disaster. I couldn’t even make eye contact with my date. We never made it to the dance. I asked to be taken home.

Often, I’ve reflected on my prom night experience. Had I not let vanity get the best of me I likely would have enjoyed a wonderful evening. There’s another lesson for me as well: I should never wear shoes that don’t fit, be they real or imagined. Trying to be someone I’m not almost always, in one way or another, ends up hurting. I am who I am—flaws, idiosyncrasies and all. That’s why one of my New Year’s resolutions is to remember to put my best foot forward, always in my own shoes.