Fellow Commuter: Miss, your shoe is untied.
Me: *looks down at shoe* Oh...right. Thanks.
Fellow Commuter: Aren't you going to tie it?
Me: Um.........no, not right now.
Two stops later.
Fellow Commuter: I'm sorry, it's just going to bother me.
Me: ..........Sorry? I can...move?
Fellow Commuter: Or you could just tie it.
Me: *smiles*
Fellow Commuter: Or if you don't mind, I could.
Me: It's really alright... (translates to: NO NO NO TIE MY SHOE. OFFER ONE MORE TIME!)
Fellow Commuter: Are you sure? It's just...it'll bother me.
Me: Um...sure, I guess. (translates to: YES YES YES YES YES YES!)
Then he actually knelt down to tie my commuter sneaker (it was the right one if you really have to know). Although I probably looked indifferent, I was psyched that my shoe was being tied. FINALLYYYYY!!! My shoe was finally being tied after a week of nonsensical flopping around.
Sure, it was pretty weird that a random person on the train had a compulsive need to tie my shoe, but whatever. The only people who have tied my shoes are: my parents, my close friends, and boyfriends. In essence, people who love me who don't want to see me hurt myself who don't want to walk around with another adult whose shoelaces are whipping their own legs.
But, why couldn't I just tie my own shoe like any other responsible adult? Well, to put it frankly, I just can't. Even when I've tried to mimic the movements of other people who teach me to tie my shoes, it doesn't turn out the same. Then I get too nervous trying to not get my fingers stuck in between the knots.
I have no excuse. I am a pretty pathetic person. I learned how to tie my shoes when I was a kid just like the rest of you, I'm sure. I've just forgotten and no it's not like riding a bike. I stopped wearing laced shoes in college when I no longer cared about how I looked because classes were just down the hall from my dorm room. Countless friends and boyfriends have attempted to teach me but the holes just don't go into the bunnies...or the bunnies don't go into the holes? Or over the under holes. I don't know.
Until I learn how to tie my shoes, these are some permanent solutions I've thought of using: Velcro shoes. A kindergartner who is obsessed with tying shoelaces. Stuffing the shoelaces into my shoes so it doesn't flop around (this also gives others the illusion that my laces are tied and I'm not an incompetent adult).
Labels: commuting, shoelaces, things i should have remembered, velcro shoes