I don’t LOVE shoes, I just like them a lot. Ok, maybe I like shoes a tiny bit more than the next person.

Here’s a question for you: do you or do you not think shoes are a personality barometer? What do your shoes say about you? Are you scuffed and dusty? Tired and worn? Neat and tidy? Shiny and purple? Or maybe somewhere in between?

Awhile back an acquaintance on Twitter mentioned that she had a pair of Fluevogs in my size to give away. (If you’ve never heard of Fluevogs check out the official website here. They are a very unique shoe, and have a cult following that borders on crazytown.)

I’ve never worn secondhand shoes. Although I’ve bought and worn a LOT of secondhand clothing, the idea of wearing someone else’s shoes was teetering on a line that I wasn’t sure I was ready to cross. But then I read that tweet, promising a pair of red Fluevogs to the first person who answered. This, my friends, was a very special kind of dilemma.

I have always wanted a pair fo Fluevogs but never had a few hundred dollars to spare in order to buy them. And so, I jumped. My friend sent them to me via another friend here in Ottawa, and suddenly I had my very own pair.

They required some minor repair work so I ordered special heel caps (heart-shaped! Eep!) from a local shoe store and brought the whole thing to the neighborhood cobbler.Â

All told, I got myself a lovely pair of Fluevogs for less than $50.

While waiting to pay the shoe guy I had a few moments to scan the rows of shoes that were waiting to be picked up by other customers. All kinds of footwear lined the counter: work boots, high heels, sneakers, and even some cheapie little flats … the kind you’d pick up for a song and discard after a season of wearing.

And that’s when the lightbulb went off. I’ve kind of always known this, because I do consider myself to be an environmentally-friendly person, but as a society we really shouldn’t be buying cheap shoes and throwing them out when they fall apart. We should be spending more on better shoes, buying fewer of them, and getting them fixed when they need a little help. It’s better for all of us, especially in the long run, isn’t it? Â

I was oddly proud to see all those shoes lined up, ready to be given a second chance.

Perhaps I’ll buy myself a pair of new Fluevogs after all. I wonder if I can find some in purple?