To My Dear Black Sneakers,
We've been through so
much together. We first met five years ago when my new movie theater job
required that I have all black sneakers. I was frustrated about having to go out and drop money on new shoes simply because the black sneakers I was already in a relationship with had a light gray strip on them and they weren't allowed. I walked into the independent shoe store near my house, and I was somehow magically drawn to you. We've been pretty much
inseparable since then.
We've spent seven days a week together since; we went to
class together Monday through Thursday and to work Friday through
Sunday. You supported me during those long 14 hour shifts spent selling
popcorn and cleaning up theaters. We went to bars together, experienced
first loves together, and traveled around the country together. But most
importantly, we got through a pretty nasty diagnosis together.
Nobody
understood the frustration that comes from not being able to wear 95%
of the shoes on the market without some sort of pain (Exhibit A). It's expected that
women my age wear heels when they go out partying. Friends made (eh, still make) fun of me for
wearing nothing but sneakers. But you understood. You made sure to keep
me comfortable and pain free, at least in terms of my extremely swollen
and achy feet. You'll never understand how appreciative I am of that.
Unfortunately, my doctors don't want us together anymore. The podiatrist I saw a few weeks ago said that you're old and worn down, and that you'll be unable to care for my needs much longer. Even the custom inserts that are being made for my shoes won't be able to salvage our relationship. Besides, my feet have become so swollen from the RA that I've gone up half a shoe size since we first met. People grow and change; you need to understand that.
As sad as it is to say, I've already replaced you; there's a box containing brand new sneakers sitting on a chair in the kitchen. If it makes you feel better, they aren't Nikes and they aren't black. Doc wants me to wear New Balance or Asics from now on for their extra support, but finding all black sneakers in those brands is turning out to be an impossible task.
Please comfort yourself with the fact that you are the longest relationship I've ever maintained thus far.
Love,
Alyssa
I really enjoy reading your blog. As I mentioned in a earlier, I have RA as well, so I can relate to almost every post you write. I loved this post because of the combination of seriousness and humor. I thought it was very clever to write a goodbye letter to a pair sneakers, but I could feel your emotion when discussing the pain you went through. I couldn't find a issue with this post, but my advice for any future posts would be to continue writing like this. Amazing job
ReplyDeleteThis post is amazing and so different. You still show the difficulties of living with RA while keeping the light hearted tone. The fact that this is a break up letter to the sneakers that you have worn for so long amazed me. As I read the letter I pictured you and your sneakers doing things together as if they were an actual living being. It helps convey the bond you had with them.
ReplyDeleteI liked this entry in particular because of the fact that you introduced a new form that wasn't present in your previous posts, and because it managed to include elements of both serious and lighthearted writing. It kind of goes with the optimistic and determined tone of your blog, and the fact that you can still remain positive and humorous even while dealing with RA. Also, the closing line happens to be my favorite part of this post. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post. It was well written and very descriptive. You gave a lot of imagery. You and your shoes have been through alot. I like how you've made an inanimate object come to life in a non crazy way. Just like relationships that come and go, you showed that you accepted the change. I like the last line because even though the shoes does not have feelings, you still gave it lighthearted goodbye. Good job.
ReplyDeletethis post nearly brought me to tears. personifying your sneakers was hilarious and also touching. you explained why they were your best shoes and essentially your best friend. this post was really creative and even though you used humor you managed to get serious about the situation.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, I really admired you opening up to us and speaking about such a personal matter. I think all your posts are full of emotion and they are also very enlightening. You show a witty side, regardless of what you're going through. I sense this sadness to your writing but you always add a bright side and I love that. It's very motivating. I think you did a great job.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the letter format to this blog, it made this post feel different than the others while still pertaining to the focus of the blog as a whole. The voice in this post was especially funny, and the writing, as ever, was excellent. I have absolutely no suggestions on what you could improve in your blog, because everything here seems flawless to me. Keep up the great writing!
ReplyDelete