Postcards from the Funny Farm

NOTE: This is not a paid endorsement for Skechers shoes. I just like them a lot ;)

New shoes for a new year, that’s one of my simple pleasures in life. For my one-year-old I’d compare it to new crib bedding (which we just bought for her from a ritzy designer baby place for the new year. Some of your are wondering, “Did he write new year?” Yes, Teachers are kind of like the Chinese that way, we have a weird time we start our years. Usually it’s around August. But back to new shoes being simple pleasures. I haven’t indulged in it for 3 years so this is something special I had to write about!

Sometimes it’s those simple pleasures that give us the fuel we need to do great things. I start back to work teaching in the 2008-2009 school-year tomorrow. My teaching job can be hot and cold but it is always is always an over-brimming source of material for my online diary.

The brand of shoes I bought is “Skechers,” a once small company from Southern California that has now become a household word like Vans or Stride Rite. I don’t know how the name evolved exactly but I remember growing up in the 80’s when surfers in my region would use the term “sketchy” as slang to mean “frightening.” Mostly it was used with regards to big waves ie;

Dude, that giant wave was skecthy.

I guess that’s why I have worn Skechers all these years. They are quality shoes and very comfortable, but it is something about that association with thrill-seeking, with surfing that keeps me buying them. They aren’t cheap at 60 bucks a pop. Still, it’s something we try to budget it in because of its importance to me. I laced mine up tonight and set them at the bottom stair ready for “the waves” that will come tomorrow. Even though I start teaching in the morning, I feel like a kid before his first soccer game.

You may not like the style of Skechers. You may prefer some other specialized “body armor” to wear to work. It is not the brand that makes it better, it’s your excitement. No one may ever notice the type of shoes you wear. If you’re a woman, then maybe no one will have noticed your new bracelet, or power skirt etc. The point is, there is a psychology to new things you assign meaning to that will make you more creative, innovative, and in many ways better.

If you’re facing a rocky climb ahead, it might seem more like a brick wall … try some new shoes.