Welp, here we are; week 100 of the pandemic, by my count. Friends have gotten sick. Friends have died. In two years, it’s morphed from COVID-19 to Delta, and again to Omicron, which by any other name should have been a bee-bop dance craze. As in, “Doin’ the Omicron jive, man; like everybody’s doing it!”
But no one is dancing.
Instead, I’m socially distancing, and the only high point of my week is dragging my sorry wagon to the grocery store. No need for makeup; I’m wearing a mask, so what’s the point? I’ve been working from home for the last two years and although I am *very* thankful for the job, I don’t really get out of my flannel house pants all that much. These days, it’s too much effort to put on proper shoes, so I pretty much walk the dog in slippers.
I’ve been vaccinated once, twice, three times now (five, if you count the two flu shots) with no end in sight. We are halfway through the second winter of our global discontent and no, we’re not there yet. Sigh.
So there I was last weekend, entertaining myself with a little virtual browsing on Amazon and Etsy (as we do now), when it happened: the cutest pair of shoes on the planet smacked me upside my virtual face and said, “Lookie here, Sista.” In my size, my color. I didn’t even have to think about it.
I clicked the BUY NOW button.
And everything changed.
The agony of anticipation has begun. Those shoes have my name on them and I can’t wait for them to arrive. My feet will dance of their own accord. They will look great with my jeans and I’ve got a favorite shirt that I haven’t worn in a such a long time, that I can’t wait to wear again. The people at the grocery store won’t even recognize me with my hair brushed. They’ll see the undeniable pep in my step, and wonder what my secret is. They’ll notice my shoes and think, ‘dang, those are nice shoes! Been a long time since I bought some new shoes…’
And as I skip out of the checkout line, they’ll nod to themselves and make a mental note to do a little shoe shopping of their own. And as I prance past the customer service desk and out the door, they’ll hear me humming a happy tune.
Get yourself some cute new shoes. You’ll feel better.
New Shoes by Paolo Nutini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmbUNF1Q4R8
Woke up cold one Tuesday
I’m looking tired and feeling quite sick
I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life
So I quickly opened the wardrobe
Pulled out some jeans and a t-shirt that seemed clean
Topped it off with a pair of old shoes
That were ripped around the seams
And I thought these shoes just don’t suit me
Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said, hey I put some new shoes on
And everybody’s smiling, it’s so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I’m running late and I don’t need an excuse
‘Cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes
Woke up late one Thursday
And I’m seeing stars as I’m rubbing my eyes and I
Felt like there were two days missing
As I focused on the time
And I made my way to the kitchen
But I had to stop from the shock of what
I found a room full of all my friends all are dancing round and round
And I thought hello new shoes
Bye bye blues
Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said, hey I put some new shoes on
And everybody’s smiling, it’s so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I’m running late and I don’t need an excuse
‘Cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes
Take me wandering through these streets
Where bright lights and angels meet
Stone to stone they take me on
I’m walking to the break of dawn
Take me wandering through these streets
Where bright lights and angels meet
Stone to stone they take me on
I’m walking to the break of dawn
Hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said, hey I put some new shoes on
And everybody’s smiling, it’s so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I’m running late and I don’t need an excuse
‘Cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes
Oh hey, I put some new shoes on
And suddenly everything is right
I said hey, I put some new shoes on
And everybody’s smiling, it’s so inviting
Oh short on money but long on time
Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine
And I’m running late and I don’t need an excuse
‘Cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes
