Instead of the typical swash-buckling adventures usually told in the current blog (I think i must be channeling the Captain Jack Sparrow I met in Edinburgh the other day – wooden leg jokes anyone?), today’s blog post is more some general musings on what some would consider the most important component of a girls wardrobe – her shoes.

 Now traipsing around Europe had resulted in some slight disintegration of my faithful Geox runners. It had gotten to the point of no return – my feet kept getting cold and wet from all the new holes and lack of sole. Good job I only have one foot to keep warm and plenty of soul! Wow, we are on a roll today.. So, as an early birthday present mum said she would buy me a new pair. Shoe shopping in Oxford – good times! After perusing a few stores and getting the shoppers disillusionment of ‘why can I always find items when I am not specifically looking?!’ we came across a shopping mall. Perfect. Right out the front was the traditional Nike/Adidas store. Double perfect. I head on in, full of renewed optimism and confidence. I walked out two minutes latter bitterly disappointed. Mum asked if I had looked in one particularly nook in the shop, I walk back in, and low and behold – the brightest pair of yellow Nike runners known to man kind. It was love at first sight.

 

Striking a pose with my new runners

 

 Walking out of the store in my brand new runners, the Geox pair dumped ceremoniously in the bin, I feel like a new woman. Albeit a woman with extremely bright shoes on her feet; the new running family joke was ‘don’t look for Hannah, look for the shoes’. I loved my new runners but started having thoughts along the lines of ‘is that person secretly laughing at me?’, ‘I wander if that cute guy over there is smiling at me or at my clown shoes?’.

 Woah, woah, woah – wait a moment here Han. You are getting caught up in what other people think of you??! It was definitely time for some tough love and to revisit my values. Why should it matter what other people think of me? I can remember my mentor Donnie Elgin sitting down with the 9 year old version of my self and asking why I felt uncomfortable when people stared at my leg.

“Is their staring hurting you Han? Could you maybe be creating awareness that having one leg is not stopping you from getting out there and living life to the fullest?”.  While it did take some time to change my thought process, I am now quietly proud of my black carbon fibre leg as I walk around in shorts or dresses; I think it looks dam sexy!

 Also, I needed to remind myself that who am I to know what other people are thinking? You know the feeling when you are slightly self-conscious that you are wearing the same outfit you wore last Monday to work again the following Monday? I think traveling cured me of that – it got to the point of my three-day rotating wardrobe where I was jut happy that the clothes I had on where clean (tricky if you have been washing out of a sink for three months). But really, I can barely remember what I wore yesterday, let alone what other people wore last week!

 After having these internal conversations and tough self-love, I pushed my shoulders back, held my head up and walked proudly down the main street in Oxford wearing my bright yellow runners. I loved every minute.

 As an aside, I am having some difficulties keeping them clean – anyone have any suggestions?! Any help or direction would be great.

 

Till next time

Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment

 

Han