Robbers in My Neighborhood

So I am very used to walking everywhere. I walked all over Chicago, all over London, and all over DC, and all over any city I have ever visited. I've always been very aware of my surroundings and very tuned-in to any threats.

In my current neighborhood, my walk from the metro to home is broken up by two parts: the busy and the quiet. The busy part is the first quarter of the walk—I walk along a busy street and there's a lot of hustle-bustle. Then I cross a main thoroughfare and get to my neighborhood, which is very quiet. At this point, I usually put on my iPod and listen to one of my podcasts ("StoryCorps," "Selected Shorts," "The Terry Gross Show," or "The Moth" are favorites).  By the time I arrive at my doorstep, I have shaken off the day, had a little storytime, and am ready for a nice evening.

Robbers are a part of life everywhere. And I've always kept an eagle-eye out for them. About a month ago, I read about some robbers who had targeted my neighborhood. That there are robbers about is nothing new—I have always read the police report column in the paper and always find something happening steps away from me (virtually) that is upsetting. But for some reason, these robbers scared me. It may have been because one of the reports was that a woman was robbed as she was walking up to her house. She resisted and she was beaten very badly. This really stuck in my brain, and it scared me.

Maybe it's because one of my happiest moments of any day is when I'm walking up to my house. Happy home! Place of refuge, place of rest, and most important: place where I find Beloved. Imagining being attacked just as you're taking off your mantle of protection is…ugh.

So I got scared. I (of course) stopped listening to my iPod. I walked down the middle of the street. I spied houses where I thought there were actual people in them (so I could run to them if the robbers showed up) versus where there were just lights on to fake robbers out. I stopped being vigilant, and was just scared. It made me mad, too. Stupid robbers!

But I guess my threshold for freaking out was met, and I stopped being scared. I just remained vigilant. They allegedly caught these robbers, but there will be more. I hope I don't ever get robbed (or worse), but even more, I hope I'm not scared between now and then, because what's the point?

I guess this is what you'd call a real "baked potato" kind of story.

Shout-Out: Comfort One Shoes

I gotta give it up for Comfort One Shoes. I've shopped there several times, and have almost always come away successful.

Their shoes are on the pricey end, but they are made—as their name implies—for comfort. As you can imagine, with all the walking I do, I am very very very interested (obsessed?) about shoes. How they fit, how they feel, and most of all, how much walking can I do in them before my feet start hurting? Also, I want them to look cute, if possible.

I recently bought two pairs of footwear: knee-high boots and a pair of black flats. Last night I bought a pair of knee-high boots and a pair of black flats. I'm ashamed to say that the boots are the third pair I bought this winter, in search of something that would not tear up my feet and make them hurt. The flats are just the second. I already said I was ashamed, what do you want from me?? And once I find a pair that fit/wear well, I keep them forever. My previous pair of flats lasted me for two years, and I wore them almost every day. Boots were the same.

Anyway, I digress. I walked into Comfort One and told the salesperson exactly what I was looking for in a boot: I walk 3 miles a day at a minimum; I need them knee-high; they can't be lined (I work up too much heat while walking and then get overheated if they're lined); they need to have structure; they need a soft footbed (pounding the pavement); they need to be soft; they need to be black; they need to be lightweight; they need to have traction on the bottom; they need to be not-old-lady. Bless her, she didn't run away, but instead went into the back and brought out a bunch of boots. After an hour, I settled on the pair that would be mine. Then I asked her if she had the strength to help me find a pair of flats.  I was delighted when she said enthusiastically, "yes!"

When we parted two hours after we first met, it was with tenderness: me with my two pairs of footwear, she with her commission and a job well done. It took almost two hours, yes. But these are my feet. I took the short cuts (online shopping for the flats, fast purchase before seeing "The Muppet Movie" [which was awesome!]), and it didn't work. I need to take care of my feet because without them, I can go nowhere. And neither can you, so mark ye well these words…

My main point (believe it or not) is this: if you are interested in keeping your feet healthy and you want footwear that looks slightly cute, too, try Comfort One Shoes. If you're in DC, check out the 1630 Connecticut Ave., NW location. Ask for Ruth.