Last week I decided I needed new Keds. Mine just
weren’t as white as I’d like them to be. So, I went on-line, ready to order them
and much to my dismay they were $45.00!! What?! I’ve been wearing Keds for
almost 5 years now. They are my thing. And now, someone decided that they
should be cool again and the price shoots up $10.00! Granted, the last time I
bought a pair was a few years ago. Keds aren’t exactly sister missionary appropriate
shoes. I checked a few sites and they all wanted $45.00 for Keds!! Nope, not
paying that. Next I tried StrideRite (that’s where I would buy them in Florida)
but they didn’t carry adult shoes. Well, I went to work puzzling over where I
was going to get Keds that were NOT $45.00 and left still puzzling. I decided
to go into the discount shoe store a few stores down from where I work, and they
ended up having Keds! But, they didn’t have my size. Long story short, they did
at another mall nearby, put them on hold for me to go pick up, and I went and picked them up.
The mall that they were at is bigger and fancier
than the mall I work at. Naturally that makes it better then right? I was
pretty excited to shop around. I hadn’t been in about a year and a half. Well,
I must say I was a bit disappointed. I went into all my favorite stores,
including the ones I usually can’t afford and was overwhelmingly unimpressed.
Clothing is all the same in America. The only variation is how much skin the
clothing doesn’t cover. I went into store,
after store, after store and just felt like I was looking at all the same things. Over, and over, and over. The only variant was the pricing. Honestly, it was a buzz kill and my desire to
shop quickly faded and then died somewhere between J. Crew and Forever21. I
bought 3 things; a grey shirt from Forever21 and two pairs of Keds, one white
and one blue( I’ve decided to try something new) from The Shoe Dept.
While I was in Japan I think I saw the fashion
change 3 times. Big changes. It was really cool to watch everyone change their
clothes. But, what I liked even more than watching the style change, was
watching how the Japanese incorporated the change in fashion, into their personal style, while still
staying true to what that style was. They knew what they liked and that is
what they stuck with. Each person had their own ‘thing’. It was great!
Complimenting people on their outfits was my favorite thing to do. Their outfits rocked! And even when they didn’t rock, the wearer thought they
did and that made them cool in their own way. Here, over in America we all wear
the same thing. As I walked around the mall I noticed everyone was wearing the
same thing. And I had missed the memo, and stuck out ridiculous amounts in my
short-sleeve oxford, chino-like pants and Keds. I got quite a few looks. Why in
the world was I wearing pants and a shirt with sleeves on it when, clearly, everyone
is supposed to be wearing itty-bitty shorts and a shirt that reveals as much as
possible? Oopps, Sorry guys. Shame on me.
Now, it’s not so much the clothes that bother me.
Wear whatever you want. What bothered me was how clone/ drone- like everyone
was. As I looked around, and caught snippets of conversations and nasty looks
from one teenage girl to the next I felt like I was in a giant rat race. It’s
all the same! Everyone looked the same
and dressed the same, all chasing the same 'golden' look and 'ideal' life that we
have been led to believe will make us happy. But, as I looked around I didn’t sense
happiness. I didn’t get the feeling that anyone was too content with
themselves. They were still chasing after that unobtainable “key to happiness”
that seems to forever dangle just out of our reach.
Why can’t we all just be happy being ourselves? And
why can’t we be happy for others being themselves. Do you know how much
confidence comes from that? It’s a great feeling. I was caught in the rat race
for a long time. And, I’ll be honest, every now and then I find myself stuck in
it again. But, there is SO much freedom that comes from being ourselves. We
were created as individuals. We were created to be different. Ok, I’m trying to
explain the secret to confidence and I’m leaving out the most important part. I
believe in God, our Heavenly Father, and He loves us for exactly who we are.
Which means, we should love exactly who we are too. When we do that, or start
too, is when we start to become truly confident. So why, oh why, are we so set on being the
same? Why do we compare ourselves to one another? We won’t ever compare or
measure up because someone else is not who we are suppose to be. I miss being
in Japan, where there were quite a few brave souls who dared to be
different. It’s scary, but, it is worth
it. Dare to be different.
