Saturday, March 30, 2019

Shoes, Shoes, and More Shoes

1...2...3...4...5. Five pairs of shoes strewn across the entryway floor. Which is interesting, really, because only four people live in this house and not a single pair of shoes is mine. The reason none of them are mine is because I've learned a secret that the others clearly don't know. Quite some time ago, I discovered that after I took my shoes off, I could pick them up and carry them upstairs. And put them away in my closet. I know, crazy, right? Who knew it was possible to carry things up the stairs?

It drives me crazy, these shoes all over the floor. You walk into the house and it looks like you accidentally walked into a shoe store, albeit an extremely messy one. It's not like they're neatly stacked in a corner, mind you. They are. all. over. the. place. Last night I didn't turn on the light before heading up the stairs and stumbled on an oversized pair of hiking boots sitting right in front of the bottom stair. My own fault, really.  I should have assumed they were there. I mean, where else would they be? The closet?

The thing is, too, the boys of the house all know it drives me crazy. How many times have they heard me rant about keeping the entryway neat? I once bought a cute box for them to put their shoes in, figuring that if I couldn't get them to take their shoes to their room, at least they could be neatly contained in the corner. Do you think that worked? Of course not. The pile of shoes just grew until they overflowed onto the floor.

This morning before I vacuum, I will carry those five pairs of shoes up the stairs and deposit them in the room of their rightful owner. (Although, truth be told, the kids' feet have gotten so big, it's getting harder to tell them apart.) I will hope, once again, that my boys will get the hint: shoes are either on your feet or put away.

But I know how this story will end. You probably do, too. Later today, a curse word or two will be mumbled under my breath after I trip over yet another pair of abandoned shoes.



5 comments:

  1. I could so relate! My son is doing a little better since we got a shoe rack, but I still trip over shoes at least a couple of times a week. I experimented recently with stacking shoes on the landing to see how long it will take others to carry the shoes upstairs as they go. The answer? I'm still waiting!

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    1. I saw a shoe rack at Ikea I was tempted to buy. But then I realized that it would require my boys to open it up to put their shoes inside, and that would be just too much work for them!

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  2. We did this for years and years and years. My three boys are grown, and, to be honest, I am now tripping over my own shoes. I swear my children taught me this!! Ha! My husband is the best with his shoes, always putting them where they belong. I don't know the solution. I know I once heard a home decorator refer to her own boys as "perpetually molting" and this made me laugh and feel better. Best wishes!!

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  3. My sons leave their shoes everywhere - I feel like I should send you a picture of my entryway at this very moment... Sigh. I'm ready for winter to end so that the boots with all their endless sludge and gravel can be put away. I know we still have rain boots ahead, and then their sneakers will be all over the place, but no boots will be a plus.

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  4. This post is hilarious! I have suffered through the exact same and I have two girls. They are both out of the house now, but whenever they come back for the weekend, there are the shoes in front of the entryway. OMG! What is it about putting those shoes in their rightful place? And what about putting on a new roll of toilet paper when the old runs out?!

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