Daily writing prompt
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
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NOTE: The shoes in the AI-generated image for this story were not my shoes. But they are pretty.

My favorite shoes of all time were purple Nikes — my first name brand pair of shoes. I got them when I was around 10. I was already a tall and needed real shoes. They were a light purple, almost lavender with suede near the heel and sides. They were beautiful.

I didn’t have much that matched those shoes, but I think if I had them now, I would find a way to wear them.

I outgrew the shoes, but still had Nikes throughout my life mostly for sports — four seasons of school basketball and track spikes.

Nikes are too narrow for my feet, so I eventually started going with other brands.

As an adult, my favorite shoes are Xero brand, as they are most like walking barefoot. However, because I live in a place where it rains quite a bit — and I’m a sucker for puddles — my current favorite shoes are my Alta Lone Peak shoes.

Like Xero shoes, the Alta have a minimal drop, meaning my foot sits flat in the shoe. Ever notice that other sneakers are low up front and have a heal in the back? That’s the drop. The less of a drop, the more it is like walking barefoot.

Walking barefoot has numerous benefits, mostly in how your muscles supports your body. While this isn’t scientific or anything, I can tell when my feet are in zero-drop shoes or regular ones. Regular shoes feel heavy and weird, while the others feel like I’m not restricted in my movements.

Yes, sometimes I can feel every rock in my Xero shoes when I walk on a trail, but the shoes help me be more aware of my surroundings. I can’t walk aimlessly without a care in the world. I have to take in my surroundings and step according to what’s in front of me and soak all nature is giving me.

My leg muscles are stronger because of the zero-drop shoes and it helps with posture as I have to engage my core and other muscles more than I do with regular shoes. I’ve worn them for over four years, so I don’t really notice it, except when I don’t wear “flat” shoes.

I’d live to have some Nikes again, but only if they had that purple shoe and have a zero-drop option. I am old enough now to say that I want the best of both my childhood for the best of my adulthood.