Simply..so hard....

12/1/2020

Of all the hard things in life throwing away old shoes shouldn't really rank highly. But I find it really really difficult!

The faded purple sandshoes. There's somethin.g very nice about faded sandshoes on a hot summer day in the garden or on the beach. Though I also have a faded grey pair. Maybe I'll keep the spotted laces

The slippers are pretty horrible and I was given money at Christmas for a new pair.

Apart from a pair of tan patent shoes with a silver buckle which I bought when I was about eighteen from Russell and Bromley no less, these lime green Fly shoes are my favoutite shoes ever. One of them has a big hole in the sole. I bought another pair but they are a very slightly duller green - they don't have that zing whch makes my heart sing when I look at them. There is an old fashioned cobbler in Byres Road - the kind of man who is interested in shoes - I might just ask him if anything can be done....

The little boots, ten or more years old, have been so useful. Or they were until they began letting in water. You could put them in the washing machine.

Even books are easier to part with than shoes!

What do you find hardest to let go of?

23 Comments

Susan

12/1/2020 11:31:53 pm

Not wanting to compromise your Kondo-ing, but ...
I'd be tempted to wash the purple beach shoes, inside a net washing-bag or tied pillowcase, with Ecover Delicate liquid on a cool wash, then let air dry near a radiator.
I'd definitely ask the cobbler about your lime sandals: I remember how happy they made you feel.

Shoes can be so evocative. There's something tender about them, that they have moulded to the shape of one's feet.

Freda

13/1/2020 02:04:51 pm

I have already got the sandshoes in a bag for the recycling bin....tender is a lovely word for shoes, and feet.

Lucille link

13/1/2020 01:22:02 am

I remember how much joy the lime shoes gave you. I fear that rubber soles are hard to repair. I am mourning the demise of my walking boots and am trying hard to break in a new pair but they are much heavier and stiffer. Yes I have many pairs of unworn shoes, mainly bought for the dressier self that never materialises in real life.

Linda

13/1/2020 03:54:33 am

"the dressier self that never materialises in real life" Lucille, that is a superb comment that sums me up perfectly!
I have two smallish wardrobes in my bedroom, one holds the stuff I wear most of the time, the other the 'nicer', 'brighter' clothes, either bought for a wedding or something I saw and really liked, but don't want to spoil by actually wearing.
I paint (in oils). I garden, cook and have a very cuddly cat. My day-to-day clothes fit this lifestyle. Also, I used to have the sort of job where we had to look smart, so I feel I should have these clothes in case they are needed.
What to do????
Although Freda, you do seem to have had good value out of these shoes!

Freda

13/1/2020 02:09:13 pm

Great question Linda! I do get great value from my shoes as I tend to wear them to death.

Lucille

14/1/2020 12:35:57 am

Yes bought for weddings and parties and other exceptional one off occasions. And there they hang in my second wardrobe of shame. I feel that they are too good to bundle up for the charity shops after only one wear but feel pretty sure that they will never see the light of day again.

Susan

14/1/2020 12:50:17 am

I resonate with both of you.
Lucille, how about altering them or making a new garment from them?
Or if not, Ebay or a Dress Agency.
I loved your term "wardrobe of shame".

Freda

13/1/2020 02:07:08 pm

Breaking in new shoes is horrible! And you have struck a chord with 'the dressier self' Lucille.

Mary

13/1/2020 03:19:07 am

I remember when you bought those lime green ones and how much you love them. Shoes are hard. Still clinging to my slippers (looking much like yours) even though I bought new ones already. Just not the same. Likewise, a pair of leather fur-lined clogs--still respectable looking--if you don't look inside and see all the fur rubbed off. Finding it very difficult to locate comfortable shoes these days, so I keep hanging on to my past-prime ones.

Freda

13/1/2020 02:10:47 pm

A good reason for hanging on Mary - comfort counts.

MaryB

13/1/2020 05:31:54 am

I'm not nostalgic about shoes .,mostly feel embarrassed about how worn and scruffy the old ones are compared to the shiny new replacement! My really hard to part with items are photographs , personal letters and treasured books.

Freda

13/1/2020 02:12:11 pm

Oh photographs - I never did get to that category!

Lotta

13/1/2020 08:36:12 am

There’s something very personal about shoes. A connecting point between us and the earth. Well worn shoes carry the visible imprints of our presence on the planet. I guess they are one of the few ways we can see our tangible form reflected back to us, if that makes sense? Not to mention the trigger for any number of memories.

On a purely practical note there’s a part of me that really wants to try filling that hole in your Fly shoe with low-expansion foam and some colour-matched silicone! Or maybe some kind of strong adhesive rubber patch as you would do for a bicycle tyre... :-) There must be a way!

Freda

13/1/2020 02:14:38 pm

I am so torn! The other observation I would make about shoes is that they are the one item we, the wearer. see all the time. The rest you only see if you look in a mirror,,,

Susan

14/1/2020 12:52:51 am

I'm sure, as Lotta suggests, your cobbler could fill the void with foam, then glue on new rubber soles.

Grace

13/1/2020 10:07:46 am

I just cannot part with all the little gifts my children brought back from their various holiday camps over the years. Some of these are pretty tacky, as they themselves would now acknowledge!

Freda

13/1/2020 02:15:44 pm

And the end of term gifts your pupils give you? I still have a few.

Grace Falconer

14/1/2020 03:18:20 am

I've received some weird and wonderful things over the years from pupils. The weird ones usually end up in charity shops.

julia

13/1/2020 05:16:45 pm

Grace, your comment reminded me of this beloved poem by billy collins..
Enjoy!
http://poetry-fromthehart.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-lanyard-billy-collins.html

Gracr

14/1/2020 03:14:21 am

Thank you for the poem Julia! I didn't know the word 'lanyard'. Sounds like the French word 'lanière', but here they call them 'scoubidous'. Language is interesting ... My children made lots of those.

julia

13/1/2020 05:21:25 pm

Freda, we are on the same page these days! My all-time favorite walking shoes are apparently irreplaceable. I have ordered any number of walking shoes online to no avail. They are not comfortable or they are not quality. The current pair (Ecco 2006) have cracked rubber soles that let in the rain. And chunks missing from the soles as well...
Slippers...horrible..and i am embarrassed to say, stinky, no matter how often i wash them...but it seems that we cannot find replacement items...either we have changed..or quality has!

Susan

14/1/2020 12:57:07 am

Julia, may I recommend Pikolinos (I go a half or full size down: they are larger than UK equivalent size), because they are very naturally foot shaped. I'm yet to find an uncomfortable pair. (I buy online in sales).

julia

14/1/2020 03:11:23 am

Thanks Susan! I shall take a look..:-)

Simply..so hard....

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