How much does a person need to know about shoes?

This had never crossed my mind. I have never stopped for more than 5 minutes to think about the essence of a shoe. I had never used the word "essence" and "shoe" in the same sentence!

You'd think that to sell shoes all you need to do is go up and down the stairs bringing people the shoe they've asked for. I certainly did. But 40 days later, I can say I have changed. I have more English than Portuguese vocabulary on shoes. I know materials and how much they stretch, which are the best, what a last and an overtoe are. That some brands also have width sizes. That Asian people adore Ferragamo and will not buy shoes made in Asia. That shoes can be hand made or hand assembled or neither. I know how to stretch shoes, how to soften leather edges and which type of pads to use and where to make a shoe more comfortable.

When a costumer asks for a shoe I can bring 6 similar styles from 5 different brands in less than 5 minutes. I know that when people can't explain what they are looking for and like everything I show them, they won't buy anything. I know how to charge one sale to two different credit cards and cash.

I've had people handing me a shoe and a roll of bills and nodding effusively. I had a person asking if they could maybe scrape the shimmer off of the $350 Prada tennis shoes because she was really looking for white ones. I've had people asking "I'd like this Ferragamo shoe, but this one has the symbol crooked, I want one that is centered". I had to bring the mate so she could see it was actually supposed to be crooked.

I've had all this in 40 days. So it's not learning about a possible cure for cancer, or teaching people how to read. It is not adding much to my CV and I have to touch strangers' feet. But I haven't been this happy for some time now.

I like my colleagues and have fun with them, I exercise going up and down the stairs, I have a reason to leave my house and I am earning my own money. People might think that I don't get as much respect as if I had an office job, but the fact is that I feel more respected at my workplace now (especially now that I am getting good at it) than I was as a volunteer in my last office job, or as an intern in Portugal.

Don't you sometimes wish you had a defined job, where you knew what was expected of you, and you didn't have to create anything? No big responsibilities, no long hours, no brainstorming. Just the simple life. I got to try it out, and it's been fun!

A different kind of Christmas

There were no cuddles from Mom, kisses from Dad.
No last minute shopping for a distant relative.
No lights in the streets, no annoyance with the traffic.
No side jokes with a sister, no revisiting old family stories told every year over Christmas.
No setting the table, no cleaning Christmas tableware.
No bacalhau, no turkey left overs.
No SMS, no phone calls to friends.

We hugged each other to help ease the saudades.
We cooked traditional Portuguese desserts, and got our own Christmas tree.
We used new technology and video conference while opening the beautiful gifts lovingly sent over by post.
We witnessed the family dinner also online, and had a chance to say hi to everyone and wish them a Merry Christmas.

So we still were loved
In every postcard written with such care.
In the voices of our parents.
In the lines written through instant messaging.
In the video clips our friends made with their children.

Thank you. It was a good Christmas and we also love you all very much.