I believe the small things in life are what make people the happiest. Some people prefer food, music, or sports. But what makes me happiest just so happens to sit at my feet every day. As a matter of fact, I stick my feet in them. Happiness, to me, is my shoes.
I love shoes. I have a pair for everything and anything. I have sneakers for when I want to get messy, sneakers for running and Parkour, a pair of boots, two pairs of dress shoes, and ten pairs of name brand sneakers. Every time I get a new pair of shoes my face lights up and is immediately covered with a smile. As soon as I get those new shoes home, I look for a matching shirt and sometimes a nice pair of jeans to set it off. Some people think it’s conceited, but I just like how I look.
When I lived in the city, I picked up the word “metrosexual,” and I think it describes me well. I’m a metropolitan man who takes pride in my style. In places like New York and Philly, people understand my fetish. Everyone walks around with their heads down as a sign of respect so no one thinks they are acting like they are better than anyone else. It’s not really a written law or something you had to do, but it was just something we all grew up doing. In the wrong neighborhood, you can get seriously hurt if you walk around with your head too high. So when you pass someone on the street with your head where it belongs, the first thing you’re going to see is their shoes.
But Philadelphia isn’t the only place my shoes have been noticed. For example, there is someone else I know in school who also cares about his shoes and the way he looks. One day he came up to me and complimented how I dress and my style. Now, every time I see him he shows off what he has and I try to show it up with what I have as a friendly competition. This makes me happy, knowing that someone notices, appreciates, and even wants to compete with my style. Without my shoes, I wouldn’t have style, my clothes wouldn’t connect, and I couldn’t be “fly.”
If others could see the effect shoes have on how they look, and especially on how they feel, this could be a different world. Everyone wears shoes, and just like how a stranger and I formed an unexpected connection over shoes, others could do the same across cliques and stereotypes. Geeks could talk to jocks about their shoes and the cheerleaders could shop with the band. Imagine the wide variety of friends one person could find with an introduction as simple as “Nice shoes.” And if everyone was exchanging compliments about their shoes, imagine how close the world would be and what we could do with all that happiness.