A Thing of Beauty . . .

Last October another package arrived from my brother. It was the infamous Air Jordan XIs. Now these black patent leather shoes are the pinnacle of shoe design and the “holy grail” of many shoe collectors. My big brother Clair first gave me the pair back in 2001 when I changed jobs. You can see the letter from all those years ago --->

A few years ago I had given the “Space Jams” back to him but now, like a shiny black penny, they had returned. These shoes are a curious thing. They are cool to have, fun to look at and maybe try on every year or two, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to wear them. My Dad used to enjoy quoting Keats: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” That comes to mind every time I pull these out of the box. I can’t imagine an occasion that would merit my wearing these—perhaps a championship game or my son’s weddings? We’ll see. For now they sit in my closet and wait. The shoes, unworn, would have sold last year for between $300-500. The Jams were re-released in December, and the new shoes are selling for at least $225.  I would never sell them so it doesn’t really matter. They are just fun to have even though they are just “stuff”—the bond with my brother is so much more important to me.

When the new Jams came out in December, he and I hopped on our computers and tried all of the online retailers with little success. Eastbay crashed and Finish Line’s site was slow and quirky; in the end, I was able to get two pair from Champs. While the hunt for rare kicks was fun, the hour and a half that I got to talk to my brother on the phone was better than scoring a pair. From football on the lawn to basketball in the gym, sports and the requisite accessories have given us reasons to spend time together. And if you boil it all down, spending time is really the most important thing in relationships.

I wore the new pair of Air Jordans on Clair’s birthday. They look better at the free throw line than running down court. So go ahead and foul me.

TANGENT 1: Space Jam was the first movie my oldest son and I ever saw together in a theater. For that reason, the song “I Believe I Can Fly” is still one of my faves.

TANGENT 2: After my wedding, before the evening reception, I was at the mall with my new bride and Clair. He bought us each a pair of white high-tops to celebrate the occasion—they looked mighty fine with my Miami Vice tuxedo.