Some shoes are only shoes. They are worn for comfort, functionality, or fashion. Then there are some that become a part of you and accompany you through different stages of life. My Converse High-Tops in black are just that. I never wear high heels or other feminine footwear. They are simply not me—not my style. I don’t feel like myself when I wear such shoes. I’ve always been a sneaker girl since I was a kid and continue to be so even now that I’m nearing 50 (not yet, but almost there 😅).
My Converse, from the minute I put them on, felt like an extension of me. I know some people dislike Converse because of its tight cut, but it never bothered me. These shoes fit my petite feet well, allowing me to walk comfortably for hours. And I have. They’ve taken me to unexpected places and supported me through highs and lows. They’ve quietly witnessed countless moments of solitude, adventure, and change.
I’ve walked city streets, wandered quiet parks, and even attended church services in them. They’ve been there in the rain, drenched through but still sturdy, and in the searing heat, carrying me forward when I was tired and sweaty.
They’ve been my travel shoes, treading dusty earth in my homeland. They’ve become my go-to shoes for grocery shopping and getting my kids to and from school.
But beyond the places they’ve taken me, these shoes mirror who I am: unpretentious, practical, a little worn around the edges, but still going strong. They remind me I don’t need to fit into anything that isn’t me. I simply need to be myself, step by step, wherever life takes me.
So here’s to my black Converse High-Tops. They may simply be shoes to some, but to me, they carry a history of footsteps, of moments both big and small, of all the roads I’ve walked, and the many more still ahead.
Olivia's Atelier 