Soles for a better world

The last few years, I’ve realized I am very picky about my shoes. I used to be a shoe fanatic buying new shoes all the time, but then I realized I wouldn’t wear them. I’ve always seemed to have one pair that I prefer to all the rest and solely wear those. I’m a one-shoe kind of person. It seems once a year or every couple of years I will find a pair of shoes I love and wear them all of the time. I think I first started doing this in college when I discovered Chacos. They were very similar to the ones pictured below, but the straps had a green and blue design. I believe I wore my Chacos for 2 years straight. You can wear sandals during the winter in Texas.

Those Chacos lasted me at least 5 years until I recently gave them up, because I haven’t worn them in the last 2 years. They gave me shin splints or at least I blame them for the shin splints. After my Chacos, my next shoe was a slip-on green canvas shoe by BC. Oh how I loved those shoes. I wore those for at least a year and a half, and they were great for winter or summer. It was difficult for me to leave them behind when I left for the World Race. I feared they would get thrown away or worse claimed by my sister along with the other apparel I left behind.

Sidenote: While on the World Race my shoe of choice for the year was Crocs.

I started in these:

4 months later switched to these:














Crocs are a great shoe to travel the world in if you are wondering... lightweight, waterproof, and comfortable.

I remember on the World Race sometimes the girls would start talking about clothing we missed from home, and I would always think about those green canvas BC shoes I left at home. I honestly don't know why looking back I was so attached to those shoes, but when I came home in August, I was ecstatic to find them waiting for me. Here's a side view from one of the last times I wore them. The edges were supposed to be fringed, but probably not that much.


Of course I remember my mother’s reaction when she saw me wearing them again. One of, “Seriously? I think you might want to invest in some new shoes.” They were pretty worn out, I’ll admit, but they were so comfy and green (well actually they had faded to more of a yellow-green).

I began a search for a new pair of shoes. I wanted something similar to the BC shoe, but from an organization socially and environmentally aware. After a few weeks of searching, I found the organization Simple. An organization dedicated to making sustainable, eco-friendly shoes made from recycled materials. Searching their site I found the shoe that I was hoping to wear for at least the next year. A "green" slip-on, and I mean green in color, of course, as well as by environmental standards. By the way my favorite color is green, hence, all the green-colored shoes, so far.

Those shoes have served me well these last 8 months, but for the last few weeks. I have realized the shoes do not fit me anymore. I keep walking out of them. I guess I have worn them out or stretched them out, and now sometimes I will be walking down a street only to have to back up and put on my shoe again. It’s pretty embarrassing. Especially, when cars are waiting for you to cross the street or people are walking close behind you.

The last few weeks I have been on the search again for a new pair of shoes. This time still wanting to buy from a socially conscious organization I went with TOMS. If you don’t know about TOMS for every pair of shoes you buy, a pair of shoes is donated to a child who can’t afford shoes. It is such a wonderful mission, and the shoes though simple, are comfy and come in fun, unique colors and designs. I have actually been debating on getting TOMS for the last 8 months. There are so many different designs I was having a difficult time deciding on which ones to buy, but as of Friday I settled on these. I know they aren't green, but maybe it's time for a change.
So this is my shoe for the next while. I'm still getting used to them. They are definitely the brightest shoes I have owned, but they are fun and support a wonderful cause.