Lessons from My First Red Heeled Sandals

WordPress Writing Prompt #1853

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During student years, I would go with my mother for a regular school shoe purchasing trip to the Bata Store in T’Nagar. Each school year initially meant buying new pair of shoes. This store is where the Indian middle class show off their purchase power for affordable, durable, and sturdy pair of school shoes.

No questions asked, I would follow my mother to the shoe store and got the school prescribed shoes accompanied with white socks. The socks at the end of the school year are no longer white. They would have a unique shade of brownish yellow white.

School Uniform and Traveling in It

Our school uniform was a brown skirt with checked blouse with the school logo label stitched on the pocket and sleeve. We wore black shoes with straps with white socks. Back then, it was the most inappropriate dress to travel by local bus after hitting puberty.

Up until the tenth grade we wore skirt and blouse to school. During high school grades 11 and 12, the uniform was an Indian outfit which was more appropriate for travel too. About a decade or so the school uniforms were changed, and the current one is smart and travel-wise too.

Not Much of an Alma Mater Person

I am not so much of an alma mater person, but I take pride in the school that I studied even though it was tough for me. I could just get a pass to go on to the next class and my eighth grade was such a touch and go for me. Anyway, I have no hard feelings as such with my alma mater, as I have moved on.

Some would say if you survived school then, surviving in the real world is not so tough. After all it was a sandbox area of the real life. I felt that there were some principles instilled in us which has proven to be useful and effectively used in real-life.

As years passed, I understood that it is not about scores and ranks; but what true take aways you learn for life and uphold it in one’s life. That part I never felt ill at ease and always preferred to walk alone during hard times with the aid of these principles that was imbibed in me.

The sturdy and abused school shoes brought at Bata stores worked in good steads for two consecutive years once my feet no longer grew bigger than the previous year. The walk down the corridor of education while learning and engaging in activities of student being taught, has made me who I am today!

Bata Shoes Store Attraction

During one of my school shoes purchases in my fifth grade at Bata, my eyes fell upon the rack where a red heeled sandals fell upon my eyes. I was with my mother and my sister, both of us ganged up against our mother and said we needed heels.

So, my mother overshot her budget for the year and got us the sandals for both of us. I chose red heels with few inches higher than my sister who was more conservative and chose a brown sandal with short heels.

Childhood Tonics and Syrups

Those were the times when both my siblings and I would drink Incremin tonic with a happy giraffe image on the carton. We also had another tonic which was sweet and more of syrup for better immunity building.

To make ourselves stand taller than the basketball players we seemed to be stuffing in tonics. But I felt getting a high heeled sandal would still get me the height that I wanted. But we lost to the game of genes, eventually!

For the first time, I didn’t concentrate on the hardship of walking on high heels. I felt tall and world from up there was okay! But after three hours of rushing round in a marriage ceremony, I understood the torture of it.

Having Second Thoughts About High Heels

Does one’s height really make the difference or is the boom of voice from up above that gives one the power of presence?!! Sadly, I don’t believe so. But I could not understand my fetish for that red heel that I saved for many years in the shoe cupboard without wearing it often.

It became the most talked about sandals with my sister. Later in my advancing years, I stopped liking high heels and preferred to get slip-on with low heel, so that, I did not hurt my soles while walking in them.

What Red Meant for Me?!

I always had a liking for red and would get attracted to it unconsciously. But these red high heels were more than just a sandal to raise my height. It was more a matter of identity and I found that among the color palette red was powerful attracting quality to it.

This red that I see anywhere would garner my attention instantly. For initial days of Facebook application, when the notifications were in red circle with white numbers would get me most interested in the way they appeared for me.

Later when I found that red color and the notification was drawing me towards too much attention and desperation, I decided to step down by closing the account. Across social media application or platforms, the phenomena of red circle with white numbers have become a standard from which I am running away.

Ill-fitted Red High Heels of Life

In life I found out that high heels are not the standards by which one grows taller, but those flat heeled shoes and sandals would the trick as much as any high heeled sandals. Slipper as we address in our circle are those that are well-fitted and comfortable ones.

If one worked on the personality, healthy habits, and be principled with some forgiving qualities then I believe you have a right fit walking casual shoe. Since my first high heels, I have switched to manageable heels for the comfort my feet.

Eventually, the more comfortable you are in your shoes and personality that you present in front of everyone, it depends how comfortable you are being yourself.