the quality of comfort

this past week, i took my very first business trip to visit a lab at the medical university of charelston, south carolina. i stayed in the downtown area, and in my free time i walked the famous king street strip, did some window-shopping, ate wonderful seafood, and even took an early morning running-tour of the amazing bay front property. charleston is an absolutely beautiful town.

during the working hours, i got my first taste of standing all day in not-quite-comfortable-shoes, each day wishing and praying that i had brought just ONE more pair that was work-appropriate to change into - clearly neither my well-worn running shoes or my trusty flip-flops would do. by day two, i had two band-aids on each foot, and even made a pit-stop at the local drugstore to stock up on gel insoles and padded knee-highs in hopes that they would help provide some relief to my aching feet.

on day three, with some free time to spare before catching the flight home, my colleague and i decided to check out the local mall. the thought of walking around in my current shoes - for even five minutes - was excruciating, so our first stop was the shoe section at the first department store we encountered. let me just break to say that for weeks, i have been in search of a pair of shoes that is dressy enough to wear with tailored slacks yet comfortable enough to stand in for hours at a time - something that i knew my new job would require. i debated dansko's, clarkes, naturalizers, easy spirit, and aerosoles, but had not yet made my decision.

as i tried on shoe after shoe, i hoped that when i found the right pair, i would know. and let me tell you - i knew. i stepped into these shoes, and onto a layer of padding that felt like clouds under my feet, and the pressure was instantly relieved from each of my band-aided and blistered feet. this pair's heels were not too high and the classic cut was exactly what i was looking for.

let me introduce you to 'timeless' by nurture - the perfect shoe: