Old Brown Shoe

As a bloke, I have a very straightforward and practical approach to shoe ownership. A black pair for when I need to wear a suit. A brown pair for when I don’t. And a pair of trainers for everything else. When the black or brown pair become too worn to be seen in polite company, they are relegated to gardening duties and a new pair purchased - in the sales if at all possible - for best. Things have become slightly more complicated of late, as the health kick I’ve been on for the past few years now means I also have dedicated trainers for the gym and a specialist pair for running.
The shoes in the picture though have led a slightly different life. Bought over ten years ago, they were reserved for when I was working and needed to be smart but not necessarily in a suit. As I only worked about ten days a month, they were still in excellent condition when I retired last year - nowhere near being relegated to gardening status.
But as retirement coincided with lockdown I started wearing them for our daily walks. Stout leather, good sole, comfortable - what’s not to like? What I didn’t anticipate is just how many lockdowns there would be and just how far I was prepared to walk. Over 1,000 kilometres later and they are now absolutely trashed - not even fit for gardening duties. And a chance visit to the Doc Martens outlet shop the other day resulted in the purchase of a new pair of brown shoes (sneakily just edging into shot!) at an absolute bargain price. The ruling is clear. One pair in means another pair out, so these “old faithfuls” are now at the bottom of the wheelie bin.
Still, if I can make the new ones last as long (and bearing in mind the black pair are hardly worn), I shouldn’t have to worry about buying shoes again for another ten years or so.