Walking in Somebody Else's Shoes

On Haight Street, there are a lot of vintage stores, and not the typical, run-of-the-mill used clothing shops seen elsewhere. There are stores specializing in clothes only from the 1920's and 30's. I bought this pair from one of those mysterious boutiques; the tag said "circa late 20's." That's the Great Gatsby era. Nearly a hundred years ago, some Nick Carraway fellow, bought these exact two shoes, slipped them on and maybe, went to a bootlegger's ball. Or maybe shot out a bank window with a Tommy-Gun.  Or maybe wore them as an extra in a Douglas Fairbanks movie. Or maybe braved the Great Depression in them.Who knows? Well, one thing I know for certain, is that some real person bought, and wore, them in the late 1930's and then put them away in a nice box to travel forward in time to my feet. I slipped into them, and they fit perfectly, and now I happily think that I'm walking in the shoes of some marvelous person long gone, but not forgotten. I'd like to think some space ranger, in 2111, will be sporting my old Vans on some fantastic new planet, and I won't be forgotten.