"I’m a practical person. I don’t have many impractical clothes or shoes. But sometimes one just needs a pair of shoes for no reason. These are mine. Are they warm? Kinda. Do they keep my toes from freezing in the MN winter? Absolutely not. Are they sturdy? Nope. Good for hiking? Maybe. But can’t a person just want a pair of shoes because they feel right?

 

Sometimes I feel like these shoes just work for me though. A typical morning in these shoes looks something like this: 

Get up, brush my teeth, get dressed, make coffee. 

Grab my keys, grab my shoes, slide them on. Jog down the three flights of stairs. I slide around and trip a little because of that extra quarter inch of space that makes these shoes so comfy, and so impractical. 

It gives me the right adrenaline rush to start the day. 

Step outside into the snow and slush and start the hike to school. I carefully step to avoid deep snow. As I J-walk across the street, I see a car coming and jog a step or two. Slush flings from the heel of my shoe onto my leg and begins sliding down my ankle to be absorbed by my sock. 

​

I was getting too warm anyway. 

I walk through the doors of Ralph Rapson Hall, step inside and start sweating. I quickly head toward my class for a chance to take my jacket off. As the foam sole hits the ground, the loudest noise I've ever heard echoes through the large building. 

SQUEEK SQUEEK SQUEEK.

The perfect announcement of my arrival."

​

- Ellie Hedlund