For the last 20-odd years, every Spring, I have traveled to the Shoe Dept. at the mall to purchase a pair of Reebok Club C Extra-Wide white tennis shoes. As they say, “If the shoe fits, wear it.” I was renowned amongst my colleagues as the guy who always bought the same shoes, blindingly white, every year. I was the rock.

Last summer after the divorce, when I was trying to change a lot of things about my life, I looked briefly at other shoes but found them too narrow. I scoured the Internet, after being teased by dropdown menus that were limited after selecting “Extra-Wide” but found that Club C Extra-Wides are only available in white (regular Club C’s are available in a variety of colors).

But this month, Kristi took me shoe shopping and talked me into buying my new “hipper” shoes (and of course, by saying “hipper” I have confirmed that I am too old to know what’s cool). These shoes are pictured below. They turned out to be quite comfortable, after all — and my fear that I couldn’t go less than extra-wide turned out to be unfounded. So here’s to “trying new things” even after 20 years!