On Marriage: Being Slippers

I’ve come to the conclusion that the thing I fear most about getting married is the slippers.

Let me explain.

In the beginning my relationship with The Lieutenant, I was a pair of high heels. In comparing myself to a pair of footwear, I don’t mean to say that I always wore high heels (in fact for a person of such meager stature, I rarely do). What I mean is that the “me” that I most often portrayed was put-together. Heels are almost always slipped on when you are just about ready to walk out the door- after your hair has been fixed and your makeup is pristine. Heels never see you just out of bed, or sick with the flu, or covered in flour in the kitchen. You wear your heels when you are at your best. And so I was a pair of high heels.

Within the first year, I began to find that although being a pair of high heels is nice, there are times when it becomes very impractical. It is impossible, for instance, to be a pair of high heels when you are frolicking in the snow or playing tennis. As our relationship has progressed it has become more and more frequent for The Lieutenant to see a "me" that is still fun, but in a more practical way. And I am ok with being a pair of tennis shoes or a set of ski boots because these also have their use.


What I fear most about getting married is becoming a pair of slippers. Slippers are not glamorous or sexy. They are not even useful or practical. They are comfortable. This is not always a bad thing. Slippers keep your feet warm. Sometimes, when you’ve been walking around as a pair of high heels all day long, you can’t wait to get home and just be a pair of slippers.

The Lieutenant doesn’t mind my being a pair of slippers sometimes. In fact, I think he would be a little put off if I was always a pair of high heels. He says that it doesn't matter.

He says that I’m beautiful. Period.

But I still fear becoming a pair of slippers. More than that, I fear losing what it feels like to be a pair of high heels in the dirty dishes and baby poo of the years to come. I fear that even when I leave the slipper-me at home, I’ll look out of place as a pair of high heels.