When Stephen was in university (well, I should clarify and say was an undergrad since his university career spanned over 10 years!), he said it was his goal to wear running shoes or "runners" to work every.single.day. This was in the mid to late '80s so at my part-time job in a bank, I wore wool skirts, silk blouses and blazers with ridiculously large shoulder pads. I always wore Hanes Silky Sheer in "Barely There" or "Barely Black" nylons and on my feet - 3-inch high, blakc, patent leather pumps. The thought that someone might wear runners to work seemed unlikely and so preposterous to me! I mean unless one was a gym teacher, who wore runners to work?!

Stephen's summer jobs were never what I considered conventional. He stripped phone wire for Bell Canada for a few weeks one summer (until Bell workers went on strike). He was then a quality control agent for an auto parts distributor, testing brake and signal lights. He worked in the campus bar at university. One summer, he worked for the Lottery Corporation where he drove around sticking 6/49 lotto stickers on the windows of every corner milk mart/variety store/drug store in the east end of Toronto.

And guess what? He wore runners for all of those jobs (though perhaps he might have worn construction boots for the Bell job...I cannot recall). He was happy. He was fulfilling his goal.

Graduate school brought new job opportunities. He taught a walking class at a university in Indiana (wearing runners, of course!). He was also a researcher where he sat at his desk, quite comfortable in his runners.

When he moved to Minnesota for his PhD, he worked in a research lab and his PhD is in Human Factors. The research lab was part of the school of Kinesiology (Gym, basically - ok, not really so no nasty comments, please!). Upon graduating, he continued to do research for the U. Again, no need for dress shoes or clothes. In all, seven more years of living his career goal.

Next came the move out here to the west coast where everyone is casual. He loved the idea of working for a Big Company where he could wear his runners. No way he could wear them to the companies where I worked over the years (bank, large insurance company, big blue computer company, financial advisor company).

All through the years, I have been trying to get him away from the runners. I tried to convince him to look at something other than runners in stores. Nope. He has never been interested. Non-runners were not part of the goal.

For his birthday, I decided to surprise him and buy some "dressy" runners with hopes that he would be something he would like. Ok, so they aren't really runners, but they kind-of sort-of look like them. They are leather and suede and would really, really good on him. No luck. He at least gave me the courtesy of trying them on but I know he was just humouring me. Back in the box they went.

So, really! Why have I been trying to get him to sway from his goal of wearing runners to work every.single.day? I am not sure. Perhaps at the beginning I was jealous that I was cramming my feet into pumps while he got to wear his Nikes. Even when my jobs became more casual (never so much that I could wear runners!), I was still trying to get him to try other shoes. And now as a SAHM, where I get to wear runners to work every.single.day (or I could if I chose to do so), I still want him out of those runners and into something "dressier".

I won't try it again. Really, I am proud of him for achieving his goal. He is proud that he has not had to sway from it. I'll let him wear his runners in peace.