I recently bought a new pair of running shoes. Ordinarily, I would have tried these out at the gym in order to avoid dirtying them in case they did now work out, but that is not an option in the COVID era with my gym shuttered. Therefore, I took my chances and ran outside.
The first few times I ran in the shoes, they felt fine. However, on the third or fourth run - I cannot remember for sure - my feet began to hurt. I decided that I no longer wanted the shoes, but unfortunately the soles had dirt and sand in many of the treads. Undeterred, I decided that I would try to clean the soles and sought out the assistance of a little hard-worker I know!
I am not into free child labor, so I offered Cate $10 to help me. This was far less than the $150 price tag of the shoes, so I considered it a steal. Cate - the professional that she is - filled up two small containers, one with clean water and the other with soapy water. She also got an old toothbrush and a paint brush while I found a straight head screwdriver.
I picked out the dirt first with the screwdriver, and then Cate began to scrub the soles. She did an amazing job, but there were still a few discolored areas in the white part of the sole. That is when Cate had the idea to use white out to paint those areas. I almost cried at her deviousness - I mean ingenuity - and because of how seriously she had taken this job. Needless to say, the shoes look as good as new and clean enough to eat off of! We will be sending them back for a refund tomorrow!
I hope Cate remembers the hour we spent on this project fondly one day - or at least does not view it as underpayment! For me, spending this time with her was pure joy!
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