A Tribute To My Shoe-A-Holic Mom

One of the things that one must not dare question is a woman's attraction towards shoes. Between a woman and her fancy shoes, there is an unspoken bond that can defy even logic. Tell that to a woman, and she would understand!

I grew up witnessing my mom’s fondness for shoes. Her shoe racks are never enough to contain all the shoes that she owned, and she had to always rearrange things so she can make room for some more. She has everyday shoes for work, and she also has plenty of others that are best suited for other types of activity.

For two-day conventions, I have gotten used to lugging her trolley bag, which is mostly filled up with a number of shoes that will match her carefully planned out outfits. This is in contrast to my reasonably-sized overnight bag that contained all the essential things that I’ll ever need for such a short stay.

But despite the number of pairs that she is so used to bringing, she’d still end up buying some more. For this, my mom is a hands down shoe-a-holic. Believe it or not, she is the only person I know who insists on wearing high heels to the beach! She rationalizes that all her shoes have the same heel height because it is the level where her spine is most comfortable. She said that wearing flats would only give her back pain.

One time, she was in a haste to do her morning rounds in the hospitals that she readily grabbed what were outside the boxes. On the third hospital that she went to, she began to notice that the nurses and some employees were disturbingly staring at her feet. She dismissed their glances and just went on with her normal routine.

On the way out, one security guard bravely approached her and said, “Doctor, you are wearing the wrong pair of shoes.” When she looked at her feet, she saw pumps with the same heels alright, but they were of different colors! Embarrassed, mom went home and laughingly relayed to us what had happened.

But regardless of the number of shoes my mom has acquired through the years, I refuse to use them as parameters of her success. Because in spite of her love for shoes, she’d readily give some pairs to somebody in need, or for some relief efforts in devastated communities. Her shoes are also instruments of her selflessness because it is with them that she is able to go to places and offer her services for free. This is my tribute to my shoe-a-holic and beautiful mom! I am so proud of you!