A Memory for Footwear

The other day we were out walking, and The Banana said to me, “Remember that time when we took Christmas pictures on this trail and I wore those special sparkly shoes?”

I did not remember those sparkly shoes, but the year we took Christmas pictures on that trail she was barely four years old.  She proceeded to tell me all sorts of details about the day that we took those pictures, about who was cooperating and who wasn’t, and included in those details was a ornate description of her childhood sparkly shoes.

I can’t believe she can remember what shoes she was wearing six years later!

This girl has always really, really appreciated shoes, from the time she was toddling around, way before she could talk.  She used to hobble over to the shoe basket by the door and try on everyone’s shoes.  She’d wear the babysitter’s shoes.  She’d hide the babysitter’s shoes because she liked them so much.  More than one babysitter graciously left our house sock foot or barefoot in midwinter.  Months later I’d find that missing shoe in some obscure place.