I Want What I Want

Thursday night

I was looking for shoes, and I was all business. I walked into a shop and a tall, thin, older gentleman asked if he could help me. I said, "I'm looking for Chuck Taylor high-tops, but I want them with a stronger, more reinforced sole." The man led to me to his display of tennis shoes. The selection was limited, amounting to a few pairs of regular Converse shoes in blue, gray and black. He said, "The kids aren't wearing the high-tops these days." I frowned; this was not what I wanted to hear. The salesman stood by good-naturedly, seemingly amused that I could get so worked up over a pair of Chucks. I left by the side door so I wouldn't have to talk with him again.

*******

Despite my actions in this dream, I tend to be a slow-moving, contemplative person, and hate being rushed. I enjoy going to the mall and spending hours just bopping about. (Sometimes I tell my wife I'm going out to do "the bear thing." She knows that I mean that I'm going to wander about blissfully until something grabs my attention, as the bears do. That's my idea of a no-stress afternoon.) So, shopping doesn't bother me; constraints on my time bother the hell out of me.

Having said all that, I must admit that I hate it when I do have my mind set on something and find that the store is out of stock, so I have to go elsewhere, or wait. Of course, it makes me uptight because I'm usually crunched for time. If I don't have to worry about the tyranny of the clock, then I don't mind so much driving to another store. "Slow down, you move too fast / You got to make the morning last..."

I wore Converse Chuck Taylor high tops when I was a kid, and started wearing them again in the 1980s, only stopping when someone convinced me that they didn't offer enough support. That explains this dream; I still love the things, I only want an improved version.

I have had some luck while shoe shopping lately. I was shivering from the cold last weekend, so I went over to Macy's and found a very comfy pair of Gold Toe premier suede slippers with real shearling padding, or somesuch. I put those things on the second I arrive at home each night. As for work shoes, I've decided that I don't want to deal with laces anymore. (That way, they're easier to kick off.) I'm wearing a pair of slip-on shoes made by a company called Sandro. They are made of distressed-looking brown leather, and feature a "comfort gel" sole. They are mighty comfortable for work shoes, although I don't know if they are in keeping with the latest styles. To me, they look like something Joe Namath would have worn, circa 1973.