I Got Shoes

The Town of Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire

I was in for an extra special treat today. My three cousins had told me about Hebden Bridge in the County of Yorkshire lying just on the Eastern side of the Pennine Hills. I was not too familiar with the towns and villages on the east side of the Pennines because I was born and raised on the west side, in Lancashire. 


My Old Beat-Up Shoes

It was a very beautiful and quaint Yorkshire village with cobblestone streets and lots and lots of hills. "Nearly new" shops were prevalent. They could be found on every street and they specialized in selling discounted shoes and clothing at dirt cheap prices. I was in one of these shops when I saw a pair beige casual shoes almost identical to my very beat-up old shoes which were ready for the garbage dump. I picked-up a pair of nearly new beige casuals, size 10, for next to nothing. I'm not one for getting all excited about saving a few dollars on shoes but this time I felt over-the-moon. I put them on right away and I wore them for the rest of the day. I was just about ready to ditch my old shoes into the nearest garbage can when a little birdie told me to hang on to them - you know - just in case?


Shoe Surgery

A few days later while on the beautiful Isle of Anglesey my new discounted shoes began to hurt when I walked. They began to hurt so much that I could no longer walk in them without limping. The pain was so intense that I had to remove my shoes completely to cool-off my feet while paddling in the sea. When I tried to put my shoes back-on my feet it was impossible. I became so angry that I borrowed a pair of heavy scissors and I cut the toes out. It was then that I noticed the words "Size 9" in the inner lining. They were supposed to be "Size 10". They had somehow magically converted themselves from a ten to a nine. I put on a pair of slip-ons until I got back to my cousins' house. 


Cooling Off

Even following the shoe surgery, my feet continued to be very painful. The cooling sea water helped a great deal, so I spent an hour or so enjoying the cool, refreshing waves splashing around my feet and ankles. They soon started to feel a lot better. For the remainder of the day, I continued to enjoy splashing around in the sea as well as taking a good look of the magnificent scenery all around me. It was intensely beautiful. This became more apparent when I noticed very few people around. It was almost as if I was in my own private paradise. 



The first thing I saw was my old beat-up casuals waiting for me in the corner of the room. The little birdie that had cautioned me against throwing them out - had been right all along.