My Left Foot

Artist's rendering of my shoe.

So about my shoe:  My left Asics Gel Cumulus running shoe is missing.  It has been since Christmas morning.  As far as I can gather, my four-year-old daughter--who didn't know any better--threw it into one of the boxes of wrapping paper gathered up after opening presents, and it accidentally went out the door as garbage.  

It took us a long time to arrive at that conclusion.  We searched all through our not-so-large NYC apartment several times.  I offered free iTunes to the kids if they could find it.  We even reviewed family photos of Christmas morning, like accidental security camera footage, to see if we could identify it’s whereabouts.  I even asked my daughter, point blank (because that always works) if she knew where it was.  No luck.  

I don’t know why, but I’m having a really hard time accepting this new reality.  My left shoe is gone.  I have a perfectly good right shoe, right here in my hand.  But it does me absolutely no good. It’s maddening.  What do I do with it?  Do I throw it out?  Do I donate it to Good Will?  Can I purchase a new match?  I was determined to find resolution.  

I went to the Asics store.  I brought down the shoe still in my possession.  Maybe they had a display model they could sell me.  Maybe somebody had returned a pair because the right shoe was damaged but the left one was still good.  Maybe I wasn't alone in my despair and Asics actually shipped single shoes to their retailers in case of just such occasions.  Again, no such luck.  If I wanted a full pair of shoes, I would have to buy a new pair.  (I'm now convinced more than ever that planned obsolesence is NOT just another corporate conspiracy theory.)

$105.  That's what they cost now.  (Thank you Federal Reserve for the hyper inflation.  I bought them a year ago for $89.99!)  Spending that amount of money on a pair of shoes I already owned was not something I felt particularly inclined to do.  However, on the upside, if I bought the new pair, I’d have a spare.  Having a spare is a good idea, right?  That’s smart and practical.  At least with tires.  But somehow it doesn’t feel the same with shoes.  Besides, it’s not like they’re interchangeable.  I specifically need a left shoe.  Two rights don’t make a left, and two lefts don’t make a right.  The whole thing just feels so wrong.  (Did I just write the chorus to a country song?  This is bad.)  

So as I muster up my courage and figure out how I’m going to move on with my life despite this tragic and unexpected shift in circumstances, I have to do what will ultimately give my mind and heart the peace I know I’ll need going forward.  As I see it, I have two options 1) Just let it go.  Cast my right shoe upon the waters of life and be willing to let it drift away.  Or 2)  I could try to sell it on eBay.  I think I'll go for a run and mull it over.  OR! ...if anyone out there has a size 10 left Asics Gel Cumulus running shoe (see picture above), please contact me directly.