Risking The Red Shoes

Couple of weeks ago, I bought myself these red shoes.

As you may know, red shoes have a history as an archetype. There's a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale by that name, of the girl who puts on red shoes and can't stop dancing no matter how bad she feels or how hard she tries.

In the 1992bestseller Women Who Run With The Wolves, Clarissa Pinkola Estes interprets this tale as one of addiction. The girl is seizing on something external that promises satisfaction, but instead creates only the need for more.

For some time, I'd been thinking about these red shoes. They finally drew me to the store, and I got them. And I've worn them quite a bit since.

I can be the sort who sees one chocolate cookie as a slippery slope. But in my new bold clarity, I'm taking the chance here, risking the possibility of going completely over the top. I'm wearing the shoes. So far, so good. I feel pretty sure I can quit whenever I want.