Shoe Shame

I believe I hoard shoes by default. I was born and raised in Marikina, a town that has the coveted title of  'The Shoe Capital of the Philippines'. The same town where you can find the 'Biggest Pair of Shoes in the World' and a museum that displays the 800 of the 3000 pairs of shoes accumulated by the corrupt political matriarch, Imelda Marcos. On a personal level, my maternal uncles and aunties have owned small shoe factories for many years and I knew, all along, that I am bound by familial duty to uphold and protect the shoe industry by buying a pair or two or more when opportunities arise.

A small part of my stash

With over two hundred pairs of shoes sitting in my cabinets and many hidden spots in my house, I felt guilt and perhaps an avalanche of shame, when I saw a viral photo in Facebook. The haunting photo shows a pair of extremely weathered feet wearing sandals made of flattened soft drink plastic bottles held by bark strings. The image of the ashen feet triggers uncomfortable thoughts. How can I possibly be affected by my seemingly shallow concern of what pair of shoes to wear whenever I go out? While others become creative with plastic bottles out of necessity, I can't count the times when I have hidden boxes of new shoes inside the trunk of my car to avoid teasing from household member. Does living in Australia over two decades finally stole my idealism to live a socially responsible existence? In a dramatic moment of self-flagellation I cried:  'Oh shame, shame, shame is my middle name!'  Actually, it is Dionisio.

The image that haunts shoe hoarders

This Easter weekend seems to be an auspicious occasion to rectify my moral impropriety for keeping too many shoes, some of which I haven't even worn. I shall sort and put them in boxes and leave them in the care of churches that run Op Shops. And to the person wearing the plastic bottle sandals, you will always be in my mind whenever I feel the urge to gravitate to the shoe shops. If only you wore size 7 shoes and wouldn't mind wearing heels while working in the field or walking for miles to the safety of a refugee camp; I would send the shoe parcels to you in an instant.