My dad and his damn sneakers

My father buys a new pair of running shoes every couple of months. He has been doing this for about the last 30 years. It's like he's obsessed.

When he was growing up, and was playing for his high school basketball team, he needed a new pair of basketball shoes, but his parents (my grandparents) couldn't afford any at the time. My own father wanted to play so badly that he worked all summer and bought himself his own Converse high-tops to play in. And he played Varsity ball in those shoes for four years, kept them until he graduated.

Right after high school, when my father had to complete his Crucible (the physical training test you must complete to be considered for the Marine Corps), he had to run the ten miles in his five year old Converse high-tops, and because they weren't conducive to long-distance running, he twisted his ankle. This caused him big problems, as you could only take the test every so often to join, and because he couldn't afford University without the help of ROTC, he felt he had to finish, or get sent back home to work on the farm until the next semester started.

What was he supposed to do? This was the only option he felt he had if he wanted to get an education, and his sneakers had messed it up for him. Anyways, my dad ran the last few miles with a twisted ankle, and still finished in time. So they let him in, he started getting a steady pay check, and ever since, he's bought over 100 pairs of running shoes. And here's the kicker- he keeps all of them for years and years, although he claims he threw away those original high-tops the same day he bought his first new pair.

Why, as people, do we get so attached to certain material items that were prohibited to us as children, or as teens? Why is my father so addicted to running now? To his damn sneakers. And why does he have such an opposition to Converse high-tops? I wish I knew, and I think I see where he's coming from. I too, have sentimental attachments to various objects from years ago, things that I should have long-since thrown away. But I can't. Guess I'm just my father's daughter.