My Affinity and Beyond

I have a confession to make: I can find Waldo in the land of many Waldo’s. Seriously though, I have something that’s been on my mind for years, something that only a handful of people know about me. It’s a dark secret, one that will rival any gossip you’ve heard on MyBook or FacePage. It’s a secret some have sworn to take to the grave, and now I’m about to let you into my deep, dark thoughts…Are you ready?

Here it is: I absolutely love Converse shoes. If you are now disappointed  in knowing this secret; if you are mad because I built up a lot of suspense only to lead you down this disappointing path, I suggest you skip this post and wait for Mel to send another link. However, if you to have an affinity for Chucks, or any other shoe for that matter, turn your brain dial to this post and tune in!

If I’m not at my professional job, where I wear a tie every day, you better believe I’m wearing my original black Chuck Taylors. Unless of course it’s summer, when I wear flip-flops from Old Navy that cost a dollar. Back to the shoes though; some type of Converse are on my feet at any given time. If I’m at my part-time job, Chucks are on my feet. Going to the movies, Chucks are on my feet. Getting married, Chucks are on my feet! They’ve become a part of me; they are the fabric of my life (sorry cotton).

My love for Converse began during my junior year of high school. I was sitting at home one day, wearing my boring, all white Air Force 1′s, and realized I wanted a change. It seemed my momma heard my thoughts as she peeked her head into my room, “RJ, I’m going to the mall, do you need anything?”

Duh, yeah I NEED something. The Redskins had a home game the following day, and I wanted to match my shoes with my jersey, which could only be done with Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars. I told my momma that I wanted a pair of burgundy Chucks, size 10. To my spoiled delight, she came home later that evening with the signature long and narrow black shoe box. I opened the box up and suddenly; blue birds were chirping all around. The sun started shining through my window onto the shoe box. I could hear my heart beating and time stood still. It was a moment in time that will not be forgotten! It was similar to the first time I heard AC/DC tell me they were on the Highway to Hell. I haven’t figured out how that is similar yet, but trust me when I say the song was playing in my head as I opened the box.

My first pair of Chucks were high-top, and I thought I was really cool…Really really cool. I had these Converse shoes through my senior year, up until I bought my next pair, the traditional black low-cut Chuck Taylors. Can you say winning?

Charlie Sheen can because he knows how to. These new Chucks were my new favorite, and my love and obsession for them quickly escalated to a dependency. Next, I bought brown Chucks, then red and black Chucks. I was addicted! I was hooked, and there was no turning back.

I’ve managed to control my addiction and have for some years. As of now, I only have six pairs of Chuck Taylors. I have two low-cut black pairs, one high-top black pair, a navy low-cut, a white low-cut and my original burgundy high-tops. I still have the two original pairs from high school! Sickening? Yes. Sentimental? Uh-huh. Bad ass? For show!

I have two pairs of low-cut black Chucks because one is for work/play, while the other is for looking fresh and clean, even though they’re dirty as hell. I can’t see myself in any other shoes any time soon. And you know what? I don’t want to wear any other type of shoes. It would be an insult to my feet. Almost like I’m cheating on them!

Jump on the Converse bandwagon friends. They’ll help you jump, make you fly, get the girl or guy of your dreams, help you kick box and wrestle alligators. You know, things of that nature!

Do you really think you can drop-kick a bear in the torso with a pair of Nike’s on?

Regards – RJ

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