Living In the City: How I Learned to Love the Sneaker
The times have changed for me. What can I say? Where my eyes were once drawn to workman’s boots, I find myself looking for signs such as “Chucks on sale”. It has been a bit of a transformation. Allow me to explain.
I grew up on a farm. And we’re talking about the sort of get up at the crack of dawn, milk the cows, feed the chickens, early to bed type place. The animals I grew up around had a function and purpose rather than companionship. Truth is, a pair of Puma suede shoes wouldn’t have lasted very long in that environment. Those days it was strictly boots, from cowboy to steel toe. Boots were the shoes of a working farm. I ran in them, worked in them, lived in them.
But upon leaving the homestead and moving to Southern California for school, the summer months really weren’t geared for a pair of cowboy boots. Besides, a standard form of attire in California are shorts. And they do look pretty silly when matched with a pair of pointy, leather, calf high boots. Thanks to my dorm mate all those years ago, my footwear has changed and I’ll probably never go back. He was the one that gave me my first pair of Vans as a Christmas present. And though it took me awhile to get used to them, including a pair of sore calves in the process, I can’t imagine walking without a pair of sneakers these days.
Look, I don’t mean to put down boots. They definitely have their uses. And I still have a pair of steel toes in my closet for jobs that require them. The thing is, they just aren’t my daily attire anymore. They have now become tools for a specific purpose rather than shoes to live in. I still have a horse and I ride her frequently. There’s a pair of cowboy boots for that purpose. But as soon as I’m off of her back, the sneakers go right back on.
To be honest, my adherence to sneakers these days revolves around one thing and one thing only. They’re just that much more comfortable. A rubber soul gives less shock than walking on leather. Canvas breathes in summertime where leather can’t. I can move my toes and stretch my feet in Chucks easier than I can in Tony Lama’s. All in all, for pure comfort, I choose sneakers over boots.
Visiting home this last year, I went with my current style. I can’t say how validating it was to have my father look at my shoes and say, “They sure look comfortable”. Yup Pop, how right you are. How so right you are.
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