Blast from the Past

“Those must be comfortable shoes, my momma says your shoes will take you anywhere, and If I can think hard enough, I can remember my first pair of shoes”!

One of my favorite lines from Forest Gump! I can remember too. That’s because I see them every day, as they are my book ends! My parents must have had them dipped in bronze and glued to a little stand. I have those and the shoes I wore home from the hospital. They are crushed velvet, light blue perhaps with a silk bow ribbon, looks like mini ballet slippers.

I am barefoot right now writing this story and cozy as heck! Perhaps due to my previous occupation that landed me barefoot for the last 25 years from teaching Martial Arts I am customed to not wearing any shoes while at home.

But barefoot or not I’d say that I do like some good shoes! Always have. I remember when I got my 1^st pair of little heels, I was in the 3^rd grade. My mom took me down to the old mall back when they had one on the East end of the Island. I don’t recall if the store was a Payless or a Kenny, so if someone recalls please tell me, I’d love to know! It was love at first sight! First, I love the smell of a shoe store, especially the smell of leather shoes. I saw these darlings and I absolutely had to have ‘em!  I thought they were sensible. I told my mom so and shared how the ankle strap was so functional with the gold latch and wooden heel with the shiny leather top. I was in love. She told me I could only wear them to church. “Of course, I responded” knowing good and well I was going to find a way to wear them beautifully to school. Sure, enough I did…and naturally she knew, and I was in trouble. But just for those first few classes of the day I felt like a Queen!

I don’t believe my love of shoes has ever been a phase, who else loves shoes?  Oh, I know who, Nelly! I do love his song Air Force One’s. I can appreciate a shoe aficionado to another. Perhaps styles are phases…and according to the Oxford Languages a phase is a distinct period or stage in a series of events or a process of change or development. In those phases lies fads. A fad again according to Oxford is in intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object’s qualities, a craze.

I can certainly relate to phases, processes, change, development, and crazes in my life with not only fashion, but also hobby and mood! Still, even now through adulthood I believe I’m in a constant motion of a phase. Except shoes, I’m certain about that.

  I recollect I didn’t recognize or realize this until 6^th grade.

Now this is a significant period for me because it’s the time from 6-8^th grades, I absolutely hated school. I was silent in my thoughts and kept to myself. This was certainly not a reflection of years past and I did not behave the same at home as I did in school. In school at the time, I was quite reserved, keeping my head down, hiding my mouth when I laughed. Taking nibbles of bites at a time, sitting by myself at lunch most often and never asking a single question to my teachers so I would not stand out. The moments I was called on I always seemed to say something that embarrassed me.

The only thing I really looked forward to about school was the clothes & shoes I picked out. I wanted to wear what Teen beat was wearing, the latest fad. I was a typical teenager; a good thing my parents’ wallet kept me humble for the most part!

So, I would save up all my allowance. Either that or I spent the entire budget I was given for back-to-school clothes shopping. Also, the Christmas money I received I spent on more cool shirts, jeans, and vans! Typical tween/teen.

My vibe was listening to MJ, Blondie & Duran Duran. I was obsessed with their music and style. I looked forward to each issue just like Ralphie did waiting on his Little Orphan Annie secret decoder pin!

My worries at the time were who would it be in? Trying to decide if I wanted to marry Roger, Simon, or Nick as if it were my prerogative… Lionel Richie and all his glorious love songs he and Stevie Wonder sang. I chased the radio station dials to find my fav tunes, calling in on the request line, stretching out the phone cord. It had me daydreaming of the stars. Not the ones I dream of today trying to see where the big & little dipper are and where is Kolob! But silly tween phases of teenage idols and fashion.

My other love was my slick, shiny, turquoise parachute pants full of zippers & fasteners with functional pockets & cuffs. I wore them with my Pat Benatar black cotton shirt with white sleeves down to my elbows most days. I had my checkered vans, the coolest white with black checkered vans ever, classic!  I loved them! I wanted a member’s only jacket too but that was not in the cards…but those glorious parachute pants & vans, I was happy & satisfied with the combo!

I think by 9^th grade my mom must have thrown out my parachute pants because I never saw them again, like my Tiger. He was the puppy stuffed animal with all the Styrofoam coming out and ears about to fall off.  A phase gone or taken and fads that lived not a long time, but a good time are treasured memories. I still listen to Duran Duran, Blondie, MJ & Pat Benatar. I still love vans shoes, have me 2 designer pairs!

What were your fads, phases, or crushes in your Jr. High era? Let me know, I’d love to hear! Meanwhile back at the ranch I’ll dig through some photo albums and find pictures of me and post. It’ll be a blast from the past!