in memoriam

its always hard to say goodbye to a loved one. unfortunately i had to do just that when we left mexico. i have had this pair of sandals for many many years. i have many fond memories of them. they have been with me to many many places. i remember i first got them when i was hoping to go to mexico over the summer for course credit after my freshman year of college. i needed something to wear down in the hot weather that would be comfy but also cool on my feet. i've warn them every summer since, usually i would wear them exclusively- work shoes and tennis shoes would be banished to the closet, only taken out for emergencies like mowing the lawn. the years had been rough on these wonderful sandals, and their looks soon faded. last summer diana had had enough of them, she felt they were too disgusting to continue wearing, i disagreed saying that they had a lot of 'character' (which was code for 'i know they are disgusting, but they are comfy!').
at the end of the summer diana had told me i had to throw them away, but i refused. i held on to them even when i knew they had long since been past their prime. when we had been making plans for our mexico honeymoon i was hoping to take these sandals out again for a new summer of fun. diana shot that idea down. we came to an agreement: i would get to bring the hideous sandals with on the trip to mexico, but i would not be able to bring them back. it was a hard decision to make, one that still haunts me to this day, but i said yes. i did it. all week i wore them with pride, enjoying every single comfortable step. at the end of the week the dreaded deadline was upon us. it was time to say goodbye. i found a nice place for them, where they could see the sunrise and the beautiful beach. i put a dollar in the heal of one of them and said goodbye. where are they now? probably walking the beaches of cancun waiting for me to return. i hear that if you stay on the beach after sundown you can hear the faint footsteps of these magnificent sandals as they forever wait for their owner to come back.
shakespeare was right: its better to have loved and lost, then to have never loved at all. i miss you sandals... we had eleven years together, and they were some of the best in my life.
1998-2009

may you rest in peace.