Are you into shoes? 

I should be more specific. 

Are you into ‘runners?’ 

If I am in the mood for a new pair, I don’t go looking for them. 

I let them come to me. 

I don’t head out with the sole intention of buying a new pair. 

I may see a pair in a store window or walk through the shoe department in a Department Store. 

A pair may call my name. 

‘Psst, hey tj?’ 

If I am in a good Sporting Goods Store, I will take a walk up and down their shoe wall. 

I have a strategy for walking it. 

I wait off to the side. 

Make myself look busy. 

But I am keeping an eye on ‘The Wall.’ 

I am waiting for a clear walk. 

AKA No staff. 

No customers. 

I want to walk it alone. 

Do my scan, up and down. 

Get to the end turn around and walk it back. 

It is on the walk back that I will stop and look at a shoe that may have gotten my attention on the first walk-by. 

I don’t want staff hanging over my shoulder. 

I am good on my own. 

I don’t know what I am looking for, but I know what I like. 

I am looking for the shoe that will stop me. 

The majority of the time, it will be in the women’s section. 

I did not know I had crossed the ‘border.’ 

Haha, I will not get into that here, maybe in another post. 

The whole process, the whole walk up and down, is done in under a minute. 

There are times when I will simply move on. 

Nothing spoke to me. 

Nothing stopped me. 

But there are times when a certain shoe will yell, ‘Psst, hey tj?’ 

That is the one I will stop and look at. 

Pull off the wall. 

Do a quick assessment. 

Look around, find a staff member. 

Make it their easiest sale of the day. 

‘Does this come in an eleven?’ 

They go through the door and come out a few minutes later with the box. 

They begin to open the box and prep the shoe for a try-on. 

I tell them not to bother, I know it will fit fine. 

I take the box to the till. 

Pay. 

Leave the box and tissue paper, and head home. 

I am not sure why a shoe yells my name. 

It can change daily. 

There are lots of different yells. 

I have a good little collection. 

You know? 

Would you mind if I said something here? 

It is just an observation. 

I like to be positive. 

I love the collaborations between designers and shoe manufacturers. 

Many of them seem to be with New Balance. 

Okay, so maybe I am missing something. 

But to me, no matter how innovative, and creative the designer is, every collaboration with New Balance ends up just creating one BUS. 

Big Ugly Shoe. 

One that definitely does not yell, 

‘Psst, hey tj?’

Insert the WTF? Emoji here. 

‘Dress Confidently. Ride Boldly. Ride YOU.’