Shoes

It's that time of year again. Time to clean out the closet and switch from long sleeve sweaters to light weight tops. It's also time to put the boots away and take out the sandals.

And that's my problem. I discovered yesterday when I was switching shoes that I have too many pairs of summer shoes. I have the usual sneakers, flats and several pairs of sandals. I don't know how I managed to accumulate so many pairs. I've run out of shelf space for them, the extras are in a pile on the floor of my closet.

My latest theory takes me back to my childhood. You see, I've always had big feet. I can remember walking from shoe store to shoe store along the shopping district on Jamaica Ave. in Queens. They rarely had age appropriate shoes for my size. My mother didn't think that an eight year old should wear a 1" heel. I remember one time when I was about 9 or 10 I wanted so badly to be in a procession in church and we had to wear white shoes, but my shoes from the previous year didn't fit and the stores hadn't started selling their white shoes. I cried when I was told that I couldn't be in the procession. The woman downstairs, married with a child, offered to lend me her shoes. My mother agreed and for that one occasion I was able to wear a 1" heel, and the shoes just about fit me.

I'm still affected by those shopping trips. Whenever I visit a shoe store, I ask if they have my size (11W) in that particular style. I never sit down or take my shoes off until they bring out the box. That's one of the reasons I buy most of my shoes from catalogs, they have a wide selection of sizes.

So now, when I see shoes in my size, I buy several pair at a time. After all, you never know when that size will be available again.