If the shoe fits

There's only a few things in life I dread more than shoe shopping.  As a relatively girly girl, I find it surprising that I just don't fit the cliche with this one.  I will never be that girl with too many shoes.  This has probably got something to do with the fact that I have extra wide feet, and one foot bigger than the other.  Not ridiculously bigger, but awkward enough to make it an issue.  Needless to say, this sucks the joy out of buying shoes tremendously as I often feel like the ugly sister squashing my dumpy foot into the glass slipper.  I live for winters when I can shove them into a pair of UGGs for the entire season.  None of this strappy, complicated, slicing into the back of your ankles business.  Yes, with regards to shoes I really am no Cinderella.

But that time has come around again.  I must venture out in the search for that perfect pair hopefully waiting for me in the first shop I enter as oppose to the twenty-first.  Having read this, you can imagine my delight today when the second pair I tried on fitted perfectly, and I was able to return home without feeling exasperated, frustrated or unsuccessful.  It was a significant day in my world, and sparked a few thoughts...

At the risk of sounding like an airhead, I must state that I believe life is like the search for the perfect shoes.  It's the journey of self-discovery, the journey of finding our feet in the world.  We discover what fits, what doesn't, what hurts and what is comfortable.  We make choices between the good-looking KILLER heels and those old comfy flats.  And with those shoes that cut your feet to shreds or give you those ugly looking blisters, you harden up and know better next time.  But throughout it all, you carry on walking.  And I guess this is the key...just always keep on walking.  Never give up until you find the perfect fit.

What doesn't kill you...

No one can escape rejection.  Whether it's a dismissal of a job application or your affections for someone, we've all been there.  And it burns.  Especially when you truly believe that this path or person was totally and utterly right for you.  But I've developed a theory that in love and life, it is an unwritten rule that we must get badly, sometimes brutally burnt at least once in order to appreciate the happy ending.
Handling rejection is one of life's greatest challenges.  Whether we throw a fit like that spoilt child in Sainsburys or accept it gracefully determines the height of our fall on the next occasion.  Because there will always be a next time.  
I'm not afraid to admit that I'm still learning with regards to rejection.  Perhaps because none of my experiences have been that painful...yet.  But for those of you who have been hit hard or left with permanent scars, I hope you find the strength to fight back and never ever lose faith in your happy ending.


After all, as they say... what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger.