The Return of "Great Boots"

Once upon a time (that would be 4 days ago) I was packing for a vacation with three destinations, three different companions, three very different moods. I knew it was going to be a packing challenge, as I never pack lightly anyway, but the combination of Portland, San Diego, Santa Fe, and Madison along with hiking, partying, galas, music festivals, and ultimately working made this one particularly challenging. I confess - six pairs of shoes came along on the trip.

Included in my choices were my "great boots" for two reasons: 1) I was going to be in Portland where the weather was going to be crummy and cold, so none of my strappy shoes made sense and 2)I feel naked in Santa Fe without some cowgirl boots. When the Santa Fe part of my trip was ditched at the very last second due to my break-up, I decided to keep the boots in my luggage anyway, knowing they were the make or break of whether my bag hit the airlines' 50 lb limit.

I was sad in Portland, licking my wounds and trying to make sense of an ended relationship, not feeling my most confident. Yet, I wore these sassy boots around Portland in the rain, and they elicited their normal share of "Great Boots!" comments. I smiled, thanked people for their comments, and realized that these boots - and this woman wearing them, me! - were around and fabulous before The Man, and were still around and fabulous after The Man. Great boots, indeed.