The shoes I wore today

I wore the same pair of black work shoes for twelve years. They’re scuffed, the left heel’s slightly cracked, and one laces tighter than the other. I didn’t think about them until I saw a new pair on my desk this morning — crisp, synthetic, like they’d never been walked in. I put them on once. Felt like wearing someone else’s skin. So I went back to the old ones. They don’t fit perfectly anymore, but they know me. That matters more.