Life at No.22, Musings

Snapshots of Tauranga #59 – An Ode to my Sole-diers

Suzanne

Imitating the annoying spring wind, I blew out the cobwebs from my recreational shoe budget account, ventured down into town, and purchased another pair of walking shoes. A few, or I should say more than a few words, danced in and out of my imagination as I farewelled my old shoes and acknowledged that with them I never walked alone.

Requiem to my Asics

Noble steed of synthetic mesh and crumbling foam,

Weeks short of a year and too many kilometres ago, you were bright-eyed, bouncy, and full of cushioning optimism.

Now? You resemble an exhausted spaniel that’s been through a tumble dryer.

You bore me well—across uneven footpaths with gabbling holes, gravel, mud, mystery solids, and litter from shedding trees and homeless dwellers.

You gripped when I slipped.

You flexed when I faltered.

You squelched when it rained and screamed quietly when it didn’t.

Together, we faced a few hills of despair, the well-known paths that scenery only changed with new walkers and faster cyclists.

You, my Asics, were there through it all. A loyal sponge for my aching knee and shins.

Do you remember that morning?

You held strong when I accidentally stepped in a puddle that may or may not have contained half of Tauranga’s remaining water table.

And what of the day my right sock folded like an origami swan mid-stride? You didn’t judge.

You just kept plodding forward, like the champ you are (or were).

But oh, how time has changed you.

Where once was tread, now lies a smooth patch of regret.

Where once your arch support stood proud, now it hangs like me after Pilates.

Your laces are frayed. Your soul, sorry, sole, is now battered.

Not quite smelling too foul, though there seems to be an air of a will to live.

And yet. I cannot quite bring myself to throw you away.

Not after all we’ve been through.

Not after the numerous hills, the building of tears, the songs we quietly sang together, drowning out traffic and overly loud humans, the cherry tree incident, and that unholy cyclist, who has obviously never heard of the merits of a ringing bell.

You carried me when my knees wailed, my hips screamed, and my toes felt like greased lightning.

You may never walk again, dear Asics.

But know this: you didn’t just carry this older woman.

You carried a dream, a late-life crisis, and many, many changes of socks.

Rest now, oh rubbery warrior.

May the wind from the North Wester dry your insoles, and may your next life be as a sensible house slipper in a warm, dry home with zero incline.

Goodbye, my faithful foot-shaped friend.

Unknown's avatar

Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

33 thoughts on “Snapshots of Tauranga #59 – An Ode to my Sole-diers”

  4. Loved this one Suzanne and I can SO relate. I have a pair of well worn and much loved asics that I’ve since replaced but can’t quite bring myself to throw out.
    This was such a great ode. Was smiling throughout. 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Miriam, I’m so pleased it made you smile, as that’s what I hoped would happen 🙂 It is quite weird how we can become quite attached to our walking shoes. Perhaps it is the places they take us to.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. I absolutely love this tribute to your Asics, Suzanne! It is not easy to find the right pair of walkers and sad when they’ve been used up. A couple of my favorite pairs of boots are mouldering in the garden. One set got me through my first field season, when I hiked through the Mojave desert looking for desert tortoises. The other pair served me many years while doing stewardship monitoring for a land trust. My current shoes are a bit disappointing, I’m afraid.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. Absolutely loved your ode to a shoe. Never quite thought of it like that before. Over here in Oz, the Rebel footwear store has a recycle bin for well-loved shoes such as your beloved Asics. A brand that I have recently discovered also serves me well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Also, H&M have a drop off bin. They claim they pass on what they can if it is still usable for resale, repurpose if possible and then recycle the rest to return to base textiles. So now I only donate to Op Shops clothes that are in extremely good condition. If anything is extra special, I take it to Dress For Success. The rest to H&M. Being a fast fashion outlet, H&M is part of the problem. I choose to trust this is a genuine attempt to close that loop. But I see your local store closed earlier this year.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

    1. Thanks, Anabel and yes I have my favourites when I did half marathons and basically still stick to the same types of shoes when walking. I spend more money on walking shoes than dressy ones, I wonder why? 😉

      Like

      Reply

  10. Well this is the first time I have read an ode to trainers! Unfortunately I had to give the Hoka shoes back to my daughter after they injured my big toe. I might have to go back to the hiking boots that I haven’t actually worn in years 🤔 but never caused me a problem.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Add to the conversation