The Right Stuff

Traveling back and forth between L.A. and Chicago as often as I do has it benefits. It points up the change in seasons. Last time I was in Chicago, I heard the crunch of leaves under my feet as I walked to the grocery store. This time the crunch under foot came from snow.

The crisp blue sky of fall had given way to a moody lavender gray one that made the short days seem even shorter. Inside It’s toasty warm, but going outside requires a puffy jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and boots.

I definitely discovered the advantage of the right footwear. In the past I have navigated my way through the snow in Crocs because they were the only comfortable shoes I had. In case you’re not familiar, they are plastic, open in the back with lots of holes in the front. They also have no traction, so in addition to letting snow come in from everywhere, the slightest patch of ice left me skidding.

This time I had real boots, though they almost never made it here. I was cleaning out my closet and found them in the back. I’d maybe worn them once. In L.A. boots are really all about style. Even though they might look like the picture of comfortable footwear, it doesn’t always work out that way for me. I like to say I have Princess and the Pea feet. The fairy tale told a story that a real princess could feel something as tiny as pea through layers of mattresses. I can feel the metal bike pedal of the indoor cycling bikes through thick soled shoes layered with inner soles. I can try the kind of shoes on that other people would regard as comfortable as slippers and find they hurt my feet. The worst part is that it doesn’t always show up right away.

This is how I ended up with the boots in the back of the closet. In the store they were fine. When I tried them in the real world, they weren’t. But of course since I had worn them outside they were not returnable. I was about to put them in the giveaway pile, but thought I ought to try them on one more time and make sure they really hurt my feet.

I’m not sure how it happened, but the boots felt great this time. I wore them all day and they stayed comfortable. So, Instead of the giveaway pile, they went into my suitcase.

How nice that this time my feet are nice and warm and there is no skidding on the slippery spots. The cold really doesn’t feel that cold either.

There’s nothing like having the right stuff for the situation!