The last time I wore clear shoes I was 9-years-old and wading into the Sea of Galilee. It was where Jesus was supposed to have preached and turned water into wine, but all I was eyeing was the small restaurant 100-meters away. It was the nearest, and only, air-conditioning unit I had access too. The temperature was hot, the shore was desperately pebbled, and foam covered my feet with each small wave.
After watching my family wade around for a few moments, I remember looking down at my feet to the pair of clear jelly shoes – hand-me-downs from my stylish teenage sister. For the entire Mid-East trip I fancied that the slight, square heel made me look like a cool girl, older than I was. But my taste for fashion had backfired. The shoes hurt. Badly. So as I stood there, baking under the sun, Galilee’s sea helped save the burning of my soles in their plastic shells.
For a moment I waited, expecting a feeling of importance to come over me as I looked out on the Sea of Galilee. I stared at the desert across the way, and I wasn’t particularly impressed. But when I turned to walk back to the shade, I noticed one of my jelly shoes had fallen off in the water. I scrambled to grab it amid the suds, regarding that the plastic strap had virtually ripped off. It was strange, given that the shoe hadn’t any tear or break in it, nor signs of wear. Let’s just say I took it as an omen.
There wasn’t any miracle to witness that morning, except the one that saved my feet from those painful shoes.
So, as I observe the return of PVC shoes, this experience is all I think about: the achy blisters and steaming feet of heeled jellies in the Sea of Galilee. That was, of course, until I saw these cute, simple sandals from Dolce Vita. They’re about as plastic as I can bear, but I love the colors and think it’s probably the only way I’d ever wear this trend. And who knows, perhaps they’ll help heal my literal soul from that experience of broken jellies in the Sea of Galilee!
What trends are you trying or hesitant to try? Share with me in the comments below! P.S. PVC isn’t such a great thing for the environment, so please keep that in mind when shopping the latest styles.
