I left the house on Thursday and flew to Florida for a funeral. When I arrived back in Philadelphia, I drove straight to Princeton, NJ to attend a Bar Mitzvah (a 2-day affair), meeting my wife and daughter who were already there. Yesterday morning, as we were packing to return home, I realized that between the 3 of us, we had worn or packed 14 pairs of shoes!
Normally, I would blame my wife, but I was just as guilty. I had 4 pairs: my sneakers, my casual black walking shoes, black and brown dress shoes. I had 3 different suits with me, one needed brown shoes, the other needed black. I wore sneakers for traveling and the rest of the time and brought the casual black shoes in case we went out with friends before or after the affair.
I realized that many people in the world, and even here in the US, are lucky to have one pair of shoes to call their own. Here we were, 3 people with 14 pairs between us, and that's just what we had packed. We truly are a spoiled bunch. Even those of us who think of ourselves as fairly frugal live with such incredible excess when you really think about it.
What's my point? I'm not quite sure, but it just seems like we could all use a bit of simplification in our lives. It would benefit our finances. It would free up space in our homes. It would decrease the strain we each put on our planet's resources. And it would make packing for travel so much easier - LOL.
Too many shoes
May 5th, 2008 at 09:01 pm
May 5th, 2008 at 09:05 pm 1210021536
May 5th, 2008 at 09:20 pm 1210022427
Hey, Disneysteve! I'd like to see the look on your face as I'm planning shoes for our trip - 7 people x 3 (gym shoes for walking, nice sandals for dining out, and Crocs0. My kids got theirs as gift for Christmas (at like $30 a pair from the grandparents). We walked past the cheap versions everywhere and I wonder is there really a difference aside from the four letters (CROC). I do agree with you that even the simplest of us is probably glutenous to the rest of the world. I'm even coming with a pre-approved list of souvenirs so that my house doesn't get filled up with more crap. I need a major case of simplification here.
May 5th, 2008 at 10:40 pm 1210027201
I too used to take many shoes when traveling. One never knew what one would encounter, but I've been able to narrow it down somewhat.
A pair of flip-flops that can be worn w/shorts, pants, & casual dresses. Into the ocean or down the boardwalk.
A pair of sneaks.
A pair of COMFORTABLE heels for schmancy-fancy places. To be worn w/dress or slacks.
If it's not serious fun-in-the-sun vacation time, but work related, then a pair of flats replaced the sneaks.
Color? All Black except for white sneaks.
Yes, we're spoiled.
May 5th, 2008 at 11:48 pm 1210031319
May 6th, 2008 at 12:42 am 1210034528
May 6th, 2008 at 01:52 am 1210038725
Used to be a shoe horse, then realized all those bad shoes were bad for my--gasp--flat feet. Whole body thanks me for ortho shoes.
May 6th, 2008 at 02:13 am 1210039986
May 6th, 2008 at 03:05 am 1210043140
Disney thanks for the post, I think your point was to remind us to be thankful for what we have because there are so many with out