This week has been a crazy one at work, due to the visits of several higher-ups who were in town from back east to conduct a series of meetings. With these visits came the understanding that we as the Customer Advocacy team should look nice and behave ourselves (which of course we would do anyway). We have a dress code anyways, but we always take it up a notch when there are executives around.

Coincidentally, meeting week was also the first full week of truly nice summer weather. The boys were at a disadvantage because there was no way they could get out of wearing dress slacks, but since I’m a girl I can wear dresses and chose to do so all week long. Normally in summertime I opt to wear a cute pair of sandals with dresses, but yesterday I was looking around in my closet and came across a pair of absolutely adorable black peep toe slingbacks that I wore to my sister’s graduation years ago. I don’t wear open-toe shoes much in winter or even spring because we get so much rain, but since the weather forecast for the day was promising I decided to pull them out and wear them. “Why don’t I wear these more often?” I wondered to myself as I admired my feet in the ridiculously cute shoes.

I spent most of the morning sitting down: sitting at my desk, sitting in an uncomfortable chair during the All Employee Meeting, sitting in the big oversize chairs in the lobby on my break. Sitting sitting sitting. I didn’t pack anything for lunch, so I went out and got a sandwich during my lunch break. Because of the meetings, when I got back I had lost my parking spot and there were literally no available spaces anywhere near the entrance to the office. Since the weather was nice, I parked in the farthest parking lot from the front door. I had a long walk back inside but I didn’t mind, since it was sunny and warm out.

As I walked along, I suddenly remembered why I hardly wear those fabulous slingback heels. With each step, the cruel shoes would pinch my toes painfully as some sort of unwarranted punishment for walking. As Monica once said on ‘Friends’, “These shoes hate feet and want them to die!”

Step by painful step, I made my way back to the office and up the stairs. I slipped the shoes off under my desk to give my feet a break, thinking that if I did then I could wear them later and I’d be ok. I went for a walk on my break, but I put on the pair of sneakers that I keep under my desk for days that I don’t have on comfortable walking shoes. I’m sure that I was making one hell of a fashion statement wearing Nikes with my flowered skirt and wrap blouse. Oh yes, I was a vision. Models in Milan will be on the runway in Nike shoes with flowing skirts next season, fo sho.

At the end of the day, I reluctantly slipped my feet back into the heels and made my way down the staircase, through the lobby, and out onto the skybridge leading to the parking lot. I could already tell this wasn’t going to be a nice walk. My car was in BFE and the only way to get there was to limp, step by painful step, with my toes being agonizingly pinched. I plodded along, wincing with each step I took. I tried taking smaller steps, but it just prolongued the pain.

I have never been so glad to make it to my car and sit down. I drove home, and immediately upon setting foot in the door I pulled the shoes off my achy feet. Then I went straight to the closet and put the shoes carefully away.

After all, they may be painful, but they are SUPER cute! I’m standing on the right in this photo.