A Mile in Her Shoes: Tori Amos

One of the things I inherited from my sister was several pairs of her shoes. This wasn’t particularly intentional, my momma just started asking me, “Do you want these?”, as we were cleaning and organizing after Chelsea’s death. The answer was yes to all of them, as my sister had great taste in shoes. After getting home and unpacking them, I had an excellent idea: I’m going to take my sister’s shoes on my adventures, so that some small part of her can experience the world she never had the opportunity to see. Thus far, her shoes have experienced East Nashville as my life normally goes: 5 Points, The Pharmacy Burger Parlor for K’s birthday, and average errands. Last night was the first real adventures of Chelsea’s shoes. Her shoes went to the Church of Music: The Ryman Auditorium. Her shoes witnessed the majesty of Tori Amos in concert.   Not only did I wear my sister’s shoes but I wore one of her dresses. We were not the same size but some clothes work despite the size and these were some items she’d had when she was smaller. So, this dress also had the opportunity to meet and take a picture with Tori’s 14 year old daughter, Tash. I was damn near giddy from this celebrity meeting, almost as much as if I’d had the chance to meet Tori herself! Tash has been on the last few albums with her mother and has a beautiful voice, of which I am quite fond. It was an amazing night to walk in my sister’s shoes, warm with summer’s heat and my darling husband beside me who, like my sister, is not the huge fan of Tori that I am. I believe it was a truly great experience to share as the first in this series. Nothing can give my sister more time or bring her back to those of us who love her but I believe this will be one more way to give her the eternal life of memory. If Siddartha Gautama and Socrates are still alive in the mind, hopefully I can give my sister at least a fraction of their lifespans through my words, and perhaps by the miles on my feet… walking miles in her shoes.