During my latest holiday trip to Illinois I found a really great pair of house slippers. They have sturdy bottoms, warm fuzzy insides, and cradle my feet with a snug, but not tight fit. I have other night footwear, but some are too big and sloppy, or not structured enough, or not very warm. My feet get cold easily and when that happens my whole body is cold and I am not comfortable. These pink and polkadot cuties are just about perfection.
As I enjoyed my slippers, I started thinking about why we wear slippers and what special function they are in our world. Mine are for pleasure, warmth, and being casual at home. But for my mom, Mollie, and maybe her mom, and way back moms, what was their function as they went about living their lives? And this question may be related to the cultures in which we find ourselves.
I didn’t really think about this stuff until now. Many women, and probably men, are so busy doing what needs to be done, putting the necessities of life together for themselves and their loved ones, they have little time or energy to gather bits and pieces of memories and analyze how their current world is influenced. This is how I remember my mom and her slippers.
My mom was born in Newcastle on Tyne, England in 1909 to great parents. My Grandad, Joseph Salkeld, was a coal miner and soldier in WWI. My Grandmother, Mary Ellen Jane Salkeld, was a strong woman who held my Grandad’s heart and world together. She loved animals, family, and life – and must have been an adventurer! She was extremely sick on the ship voyage to the USA after the war ended. Maybe more about this tale another time.
Back to slippers. My earliest memories are of living with my granddad and parents in the Village of Jerome, a suburb of Springfield, Illinois. The purpose of my mom’s slippers were similar to my own, but more crucial economically and functionally. She needed them to keep her feet off a cold floor and to save her “good” shoes. I can remember her saying things like, “I need to fetch me “Sally Trotters” before I catch me bus.” These “Sally Trotters” were her good, go out in the world shoes. She loved them. Even when they became old, they were of use. They became her slippers.
I researched a little for this piece. I did not now about this brand of shoes. There is a web-site with quite a bit of information about a company that started in 1935 and continues today. I found the web-site and I really liked these blue-swede flats.
Back to slippers. For me, it is amazing to find that CULTURE and FOOTWEAR go hand in hand. There are so many reasons why we take off our shoes and put on other shoes or go barefoot. Some people take off their shoes upon entering a home as a sign of respect. Many kinds of respect – for the amount of work it takes to keep a place handsome and livable. Or, just respect for someone else’s customs and values. Another reason for changing shoes to slippers could be very functional, keeping feet warm and comfortable from the cold or dirty surfaces below. Going to barefoot is another option. Maybe it is the feeling of freeing your toes, or being an earth person and connecting to your surface.
Whatever the reason to have shoes and slippers, it has caused me pleasure to think about it and my family history. I love my pink polkadot house slippers that keep me warm and snug. And, I like to think happy thoughts about my mom and family women. xoxo g