I feel like I took a real step forward today. I'd bought these shoes about a month ago. I was in love with the style. I'd tried them on earlier, at nearly full price, and almost bought them. Then I'd gone back and they were gone. I kept thinking about them. Then I found them when I was visiting a friend out of state and they were 70% off. I grabbed them without a thought. Everyone on the forum loved them. All around hooray!

But then as the elation faded, I started really thinking about what to wear them with. Several things came to mind, but I never broke them out. Yesterday I realized it was because I was buying for an imaginary lifestyle.

I love how caged heels look on others here on the forum. I long for how they make every simple outfit look super cool. I love their edginess. But... They are a weekend shoe, not a work shoe for me. I have two little kids to chase around. The heel is too high. I could wear them for a date night, but they aren't really my core style, so I doubt I'll get the wear over time that I need for them. They'd never be my go-to. And I live in Portland, Oregon, so I could only wear them in the summer. All this came crashing home and I realized that they had to go back.

So I'm celebrating! I'm really glad that I realized what I was doing while I could still return them. Yeah forum and Angie for this perspective!