SHOES

SHOES

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you

because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

Roald Dahl

Happy New Year my friends! Here we are in another January, hopeful and committed to making this year better than ever!

My mother always told me, “If you smile real big, no one will notice your shoes”. While that is somewhat true, there are exceptions. Like for instance, when a candidate I had recruited for a prestigious hospice CEO job went for the interview. I asked the search committee chairwoman how the interview went she replied, “her shoes were scuffed”. That candidate did not make the cut, clearly her smile did not detract from her shoes.

I’ve shopped for shoes from New York City to San Diego and all parts in between. I love beautiful shoes, likely because they were not within my budget growing up. But, when I started my consulting business, shoes became a statement of my style and personality: professional and fun, stylish and quality.

I have had a love/hate relationship with Manolo Blahnik, Stewart Weitzman, Gucci and Jimmy Choo…shoes. Love their shoes, hate the way my feet hurt wearing some of them. Louboutin’s were a bit too far out of reach, but I still admired those red soles.

Stepping out into the world wearing a great pair of shoes made me feel confident. Then…for the past 3 years stepping out meant stepping from my bedroom to my home office and not much further. Uggs became the shoe of choice or flip flops (fashionable of course). My beautiful shoes have been in isolation, not seeing the light of day.

Then something happened this new year. Hope began showing up in mysterious ways. I was talking with a client who said she had finally gotten out and walked around in a shopping mall.

“The strangest thing happened” she said, “I bought TWO pair of really cute shoes, on sale!” For her it was a big deal. It was a sign from the Universe that things were starting to get back to some kind of “normal”.

I too realized I had bought myself a new pair of shoes this month without realizing the significance of what it represented. Freedom! Confidence that the world is indeed opening again and so am I. They are not professional pointy-toe, high heels but rather stylish sneakers with some glitz and glam. Don’t judge me, my feet have to ease back into society.

Remember, the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. If you look with glittering eyes, sometimes hope can be found in a pair of new shoes!