In Focus

I’ve always disliked shopping for clothes, shoes or anything I have to wear. I am one of those that just don’t like the way things look on me or the hassle of having to try things on and debate about it.

I’ve had two pairs of “work” shoes I loved...and wore...to death. A pair of black and a pair of brown dressy sneakers. I’ve had them for many years and they both decided it was time to wear out. My black ones completely ripped and separated from the sole. No glue was going to fix that issue. Then my brown ones were scuffed beyond fixing, among other things...and my cats were stealing the laces out of them constantly. I sucked it up and decided to go shoe shopping.

Why do I do this to myself? I hit up several places, even looked online for something that I liked to replace my favorite go-to shoes. I couldn’t find anything remotely close to them. About a month later, I came across a pair I actually liked. I tried them on and still liked them. The irony is they are dark gray. Close enough though. I bought them and brought them home. Two weeks later, they are still sitting in the bag because I need to scotch guard them and I keep forgetting to do that. Plus it’s still sandal season. I have some time yet.

Speaking of things I wear...I woke up one morning at 4 a.m. to go to the bathroom. I grabbed my glasses and the arm/bow fell off. Really? So I taped the arm back on with blue painter’s tape to get me through the weekend until I could take them to the eye clinic to get repaired. At least that is what I had hoped.

I handed them over to the clinician who looked at them and said they were beyond repair. I would have to buy new frames. That was just what I didn’t want to hear. Picking out a pair of shoes was hard enough, now I had to pick out something that’s going to be on my face and extremely visible.

While they patched the break with shrink wrap, for now, I spent what seemed like an obscene amount of time looking at frames. I mean, it’s kind of hard to see what they look like on me when I can’t see! Thankfully, there were nice ladies who assisted me and gave me their honest opinions. Luckily, I was due for a new pair and the winning pair would be covered by insurance.

Just when I was thinking I had dodged a potentially expensive bullet, they said it would take about two weeks for my new glasses to come in. Then it hit me. I’m leaving in two weeks for my sister’s wedding in Ohio. And I’m a bridesmaid. It would be my crappy luck that I would have to wear these broken patched-up glasses in her wedding.

I pray they come in before I leave and nothing else breaks. I can’t handle any more shopping...