Image credit: Bob_Dmyt from pixabay.com
This is my first ever post on Hive, so I hope I did not mess it up completely:
The Ladies of Hive group is having a contest, and this is my entry for this week. The writing prompt I chose was:
Describe the worst pair of shoes you've ever owned.
My parents were not cruel, sadistic monsters. They loved me. They tried to do the right thing. It is therefore somewhat inexplicable that, when I was a child, they insisted on purchasing the ugliest imaginable shoes for me. These shoes literally made me cry. I was only seven.
This was not abuse, but it sure felt like it at times, not to minimize the suffering of those who were actually abused, of course. These footwear monstrosities were brown or sometimes a sort of eggplant purple lace up Buster Brown shoe. It was the 70's, but that neither explains nor forgives this transgression on my parents' part.
How Ugly Can They Be?
In case you don't know, Buster Brown is supposedly a quality shoe. If you want to understand the level of ugliness with which I was contending, look at the first photo here:
https://americacomesalive.com/buster-brown-shoes-mary-janes/
In retrospect I wonder whether my parents inadvertently bought me boys' shoes, but I don't think so. They were just hella-ugly girls' shoes.
Things I don't understand:
Why would Mom, who had a sense of fashion, buy such ugly shoes?
Why did Buster Brown make such ugly shoes?
Why didn't my younger sister have to wear such monstrosities?
Longing for Mary Janes
Most of the girls at school had black patent leather Mary Jane shoes. How I wished I too had the Mary Janes! Were the Buster Browns cheap? No. Were they comfortable? Mom said they were, but she did not have to wear the hated footwear.
(Ironically, I think the Mary Janes were actually made by the Buster Brown company, so -- why, Mom and Dad?)
I developed huge, painful blisters on my heels from this high quality footwear. Did I already say these shoes made me cry? They did. They made me cry when we bought them.because they were ugly and uncomfortable. They made me cry when I wore them because of the blisters, and they made me cry when the Mary Jane girls made fun of me for having such hideous shoes.
Why Didn't I Destroy Them? The Shoes, Not my Parents
I knew they were hideous. I wish I had thought to set them on fire or throw them into the garbage or somehow "lose" them. However, I was a "good" girl, so I put up with the Buster Brown nonsense for years.
I am not even sure what finally put a stop to Buster Brown ruining my life. My parents loved those shoes so much. They explained to me about the Quality. The Durability. The Craftsmanship. I think they adored the shoes as much as I hated them. Sometimes, they would have whole conversations about what great shoes the Buster Brown were.
Yeah? Well, if you like them, maybe you should wear them, I wanted to scream. However, I didn't scream at them. I sobbed instead. It was damned tragic.
Good Behavior Does not Pay Off
I don't know why I felt the need to be good rather than rage against the insanity of these shoes that were ugly, hurt my feet, and lost me social standing that I, a chubby, nerdy little kid, could ill afford to lose. It reminds me of a quote by Henry David Thoreau from "Walden":
"If I repent of anything, it is very likely to be my good behavior. What demon possessed me that I behaved so well?"
Now All Shoes are a Joy by Comparison
Those were the worst shoes of my life. On a positive note, since the Buster Browns, it is almost impossible for any shoe to be upsetting for me. So, in a way, Mom and Dad did me a favor. Every shoe since those hated Buster Browns has been a real joy by comparison. My parents accidentally taught me to appreciate every non-Buster Brown shoe I ever wore. So, there is some benefit to mildly torturing your child. Later life seems so much nicer. Maybe that was their plan all along. If so, well-played, parents. Well-played indeed.
I invite @shadowspub, @dreemsteem to the Women of Hive community (if you are not already part of it) and to participate in this contest. Edit: I am also inviting @pitom, who is new like I am.
I welcome any and all feedback. As long as it is overwhelmingly positive and supportive, of course. Seriously, though, I want to know what you think. Now. Or, you know, whenever you have a moment is fine also.
@harlowjourney
I've heard a bit about you, my friend. And I must say, it was the truth! (All of it was positive, I promise). What a wonderful post, and comical, but true to life look at what growing up, and the struggle of being a parent, really is! This is an awesomesauce example of the mindset behind my #thoughtfuldailypost initiative, but I can tell you this...
Continue to share your energy and vibe like this, and you will be just fine, here on the Blockchain...
Love and light ✨
Wes...
!LUV @tipu curate !WINE !giphy Buster Brown
0.300 WINECongratulations, @wesphilbin You Successfully Shared With @harlowjourney.
You Earned 0.300 WINE As Curation Reward.
You Utilized 3/5 Successful Calls.
Contact Us : WINE Token Discord Channel
WINE Current Market Price : 0.198
Via Tenor
Thank you so much! I refuse to be paranoid. Lol. Seriously, though. This is a very welcoming community. I will endeavor to participate.
<><
@harlowjourney, you've been given LUV from @wesphilbin.
Check the LUV in your H-E wallet. (3/5)
Never considered the ugly shoes we had to wear, it was what had to be done, double up for school and church when young. Always got blisters when new, had to be polished and shone up everyday too!
Oh I feel you pain thinking back, once home running around barefoot never actually gave thought to those "ugly" shoes @harlowjourney.
Lovely to meet you, welcome to Hive and the Ladies of Hive family!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 60/100) Liquid rewards.
Thank you for your kind words! I appreciate it so much. Those shoes were really the worst. I miss them not at all.
Look like international standard shoes, all ugly, long lasting. Selection of clothing only allowed after 13th birthday, just had to live with them!
That was exactly my experience. I never really thought about it, but it really was when I was 13 that I started being allowed to dress in a way that was not mortifying.
Your comments are just as funny as the post...lolololol
Older generation appear to have been given same blueprint to follow in bringing up children.
Although I must say once faced with this new daunting task, paying your own way, one quickly realized the expense attached.
Working career took off, my Mom sewed most amazing suits for work, saving me a ton of money, always completely in style after "window shopping" for ideas!
!ENGAGE 10
ENGAGEtoday.Hmmm, I believe it is called Aversion Therapy which is controversial in it premise and results. Looking at your link... It is ... brown ...dated ....a bit tacky, looks as if it belongs in a different dimension and time. But I do like the basic Mary Jane style with a more adult heel.
More specifically this for example, I'm actually considering buying this particular shoe.
or maybe this one,
I'm still somewhat into the Punk/Goth style. https://shoefreaks.ca/products/demonia-vivika-32-black-size-7-clearance https://shoefreaks.ca/products/demonia-sprite-05-shoes?variant=30460276703332
I am glad that you turned out to see things in "a glass half full." perspective from here on in!
Thank you @harlowjourney for sharing, and on behalf of Ladies of Hive, Welcome! Wishing you success on Hive. 🤗❤️
Thank you. I would have done anything to get those mary janes instead of the ugly brown or eggplant purple lace ups my parents loved so much. However, you know, it was the 70's.
Also, my parents were a little out of step with the times. Most people's parents at that point were baby boomers, but my parents were in their 30's when they had me. Dad was born in the late 1930s and Mom was born in the early 1940s.
It's a bit funny for me when people talk about "boomers" as though they are ancient and out of step because the "boomer" parents were the cool parents that other kids had. They were freshly finished with their idealism of being hippies and on their way to the pragmatism of being yuppies when I was a kid. My parents were simply confused.
I don't even know what their generation is called. Just a bunch of confused individuals. Jaboci? It doesn't roll off the tongue?
My parents were born like yours the very end of the 30s and mid 40s respectively, but they didn't have me until the 80s. So I really lucked out on the childhood fashion too.
What a fantastic first post!! I am not surprised having seen your work but great job. I am a member of the Ladies of Hive but can't really think of any really bad shoes I had to wear.
Thank you. You are very lucky and/or wise not to have had bad shoes. Bad shoes are a curse on womankind. Mankind too, but, for some reason, women tend to inflict bad shoes on ourselves and each other more often.
What a great first post on HIVE! I like your sense-of-humor in the face of difficult memories! Welcome to the HIVE blockchain and the LADIES OF HIVE community! 😊
Thank you. I am both surprised and grateful. On Medium, my first month, I made $0.24. They sent that to my bank account. I literally laughed out loud. Why don't you guys just cut me and squirt some lemon in it instead? However, I persist because writing is addictive, but not quite as harmful as most addictive substances. It keeps me out of trouble. Mostly.
Really sorry you developed those blisters and yes your parents love you so much and want the best for you.
Thank you. Yes. That is certainly true. My parents were wonderful and only wanted the best for me. If only they had realized that the best would have been those mary janes... lol.
Im sure now they know better...
Smiles
Hahahahahahahhahahaa
Honestly...right??
They were even made by the same company.... hahahahahahahaha
Oh my goodness, I wore something like this when I was little too! I grew up in South Africa though so mine were likely a different brand and I got the same story from my parents. They were made to last! Tough as nails that's for sure😂I guess as my folks had 3 kids to raise, they couldn't afford to be buying new shoes all the time. Back in the old days, we wore shoes to school and had maybe one other pair for homelife and then it was simply "kaalvoet" barefoot around the garden and house, the best way to be😊 I love that the stress of those Buster Browns became a benchmark of satisfaction for you; anything that was NOT a Buster Brown thereafter appears to pass the test automatically😂
I laughed SO HARD THROUGHOUT this post!!!!!! Not only was it brilliantly written, but jt was almost IDENTICAL to an experience that I had as a child too!!!! I had to even open up the link to see the shoes because the way you were describing them reminded me of MY hideous brown chunky leather, lace-up UGLY boots.
I cried the same amount of tears and my mother LOVED these shoes and my sister didn't have to wear them....I mean....I was in STITCHES reading you whole post because it was like we lived the same life ... And I'm a good girl too!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My sister.. 7 years younger would have just plain refused and not budged until she got her way...me? Put them on and cry all through school hahahahahahahaha
I can't even find what kind of shoe mine were... They were just these like...non descript ..almost hiking boots??? But not. They had the hooks for laces.. you know? Not loops. They were so ugly Harlow!!!!!!! Hahahahahhahaha
I didn't enter this challenge this week.... But man oh man.... I feel like I've just gone down memory lane with you and laughed ever step of the way!!!!
Just perfection!!!! Hahahahahaha
Yes...shadows and I are already members of ladies of Hive but thank you for thinking of us!!!! Hehehehhee
What a way to start your Hive writing here!!! Lolol excellent job!!!!!!
Thank you. I am always surprised by how many seemingly personal experiences are shared by many. When I worked as a counselor, for example, many people would come through my door and confess in whispers that they "hate people" as though it was their own, private, dark secret. However, I kept hearing it! And... if I'm honest, I often felt it too. Not all the prople all the time, you know? But, too often. I did NOT say, "I'm right there with you, girl," though. They teach you not to say that in counseling school.
Hahahhahahaa
So many people...hate people.
But we all know what they mean because we feel it too. We don't actually hate people - but we hate the amount of stress and drama and toxicity people tend to create!! Lol
But so much easier to say "I hate people too" 😂😂😂😂😂
I agree with you, we all have so many things that connect us!!! And we see.that and feel that when people are willing to start the conversation and invite others in.
That's what your post did!
Keep it up!!!!
Welcome to Ladies of Hive!
An excellent first article.
You made me chuckle.
What an aversion you had for those shoes!
And good luck with the contest.
Ladies of Hive is here for you.
This is where we can exchange ideas and be inspired by the stories of others.
Perhaps we have the knowledge to share or perhaps we need to learn from others.
No matter what it is ... do it on Ladies of Hive.
You are not here just for yourself.
We are here for each other.
Meet other women in the community!
Get others involved!
Support each other!
And let's have fun! Thanks for sharing @harlowjourney.
Thank you. That is a very welcoming and supportive comment. I appreciate it a lot.
You're welcome, @harlowjourney!
🤣🤣🤣
Why didn't you just tell them every so often? Or when they asked what you want for your birthday or Christmas? Tell them what kind of shoes you want? There are ways to make your point without acting like a rebel :) ...
Welcome to Hive, by the way :)
!ALIVE !PIZZA
Thank you so much. I might have mentioned my displeasure about the shoes to them a few thousand times. While I was not a child who would overtly disobey or wantonly destroy perfectly good footwear, I was not shy to state my opinion. They loved me, but they were old school. My opinion about the shoes was completely irrelevant. They were good, durable, appropriate shoes. My parents were very pleased with themselves for shoeing their child so well. It was clear to them that I was mistaken. It was a whole other time. Society had not yet invented the concept of babies being on board.
Oh.
Em.
GEE!
While my experience was far less traumatizing (shoe-wise, at least) I WORE BUSTER BROWNS TOO! At about the same age as well - in fact, I still have clear memories of my parents being super excited to take me shopping for them back in the early 70s ("they have a whole process to make sure they fit your feet perfectly!") right after an eye exam (first time I had my pupils dilated) so the whole experience is the shadowy color of the paper sunglasses I got from the optometrist. 🤓
I also have a school photo around here somewhere from about that time with me in an orange turtleneck, orange & brown plaid overall skirt, and brown tights. I can almost guarantee I had the BBs on my feet as well. 😎
Totally feel your pain though, @harlowjourney... 😂
Oh, and welcome to Hive! 🎉
Being a child of the 70's was not always easy! Lol. Thank you for your comment. I am really surprised how many people this resonated with. I think Buster Brown has a lot to answer for. Lol.
And I was apparently so lost in my memories that I completely spaced giving your most excellent post an upvote & reblog - ugh! 😖
And, fixed! 😂
Thank you!
Definitely not...lol! You're very welcome - thanks in return for the nostalgic moment. And yes, if you ever need me to sign the petition, just shout out... 🤣
i really enjoyed your writing!
And you found LADIES of Hive! Very good community... you will fit in nicely.
thanks for joining us in #DreemPort, by the way.
its funny the things that are triggered as memories in our past, isn't it?
For you this shoes memories... for me, scents always trigger strong memories, scents and music!
btw, I live right near the real WALDEN, and have visited the cabin and pond as a kid, and later as an adult
You are so fortunate. I have always wanted to visit that area. "Walden" is my favorite book. The weird thing is that I read it because of an episode of Southpark. Eric Cartman wins an essay competition by handing in a copy of "Walden" with Thoreau's name crossed out and his name written in. He read the first sentence on the show, and I was curious about it, so I got a copy, and read it.
Thank you. It is a very welcoming community! You're so right about the things that trigger our memories. I had a writing instructor years ago who used to encourage us to find prompts which triggered one or more of our five senses. She sometimes would provide a box of items which had various different visual or tactile triggers for writing. She played music for us. Scents are more challenging in a group setting since some people are sensitive.
What I learned from her was that some of my best writing tends to be spontaneous. Edited, of course, but initially unplanned. I would not have even thought of writing about shoes if there had not been a writing prompt about it.
yeah, that's the best part of a prompt.
Write for as long as you can, without editing: Just keep writing.
When you run out of steam, THEN, go back and do some editing.
BUT write, first, while the prompt pushes you!
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the person sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Congratulations @harlowjourney! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
Your next target is to reach 50 upvotes.
Your next target is to reach 100 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Hello, @harlowjourney! This is @jcrodriguez from @OCD team. We saw that you already posted your first post here in Hive! Congratulations and welcome! However, it would be awesome if you do an introduction post. As a sample of what an intro post is, you can refer to this intro post for reference:
Keeping Up With the Buzz - My Introduction to the Hive Community
There's no specific format on how you do your intro post, but there is some suggested content that we would love to see in your post. Information like who are you and where you're from, how did you discover Hive or who invited you, what types of content you want to see here and the types that you want to produce, and what are your expectations in this platform. There's no pressure on this. You can choose whatever information you would like to share.
You can explore the communities that you may like in this post: OCD Communities Incubation Program. There is a wide variety of topics, you are sure to find the right communities for your content.
You may encounter RC (Resource Credits) issues when trying to comment/post because you don't have enough Hive Power in your account yet. You can fix this with a one week temporary delegation through the Gift Giver Site. Another solution is for the person who recommended Hive to delegate some Hive Power to you.
If you are looking for tips and information as a Hive newbie, click here: newbie guide. They are easy to understand and useful for learning how the platform ecosystem works.
Please be aware that Hive is a bit different from other social media platforms since you are monetizing your blog, so it is important not to include content that you don't own without sources (and it shouldn't exceed 50% of the post). For more information, check this post - Why and How People Abuse and Plagiarise by hivewatchers.
If you have questions or concerns, you can hop into OCD's Discord server and we'll gladly answer your questions.
Lovesniper will follow you and we are looking forward to your intro post!
You have received 5 LADY(LOH) tokens for posting in Ladies of Hive.
You Are Alive and have been rewarded with 0.1 ALIVE tokens from the We Are Alive Tribe
, and it's paid for by the earnings on @alive.chat, swing by our daily chat any time you want.