Daddy needs new shoes

I was talking the other day with one of the guys that runs the party store down on the corner. He was telling me about this company called Ecolution that makes hemp products. They're based in Romania and apparently they are unionized. He was telling me that he was looking to buy some shoes from this place because he wanted his next shoes to be union made. He said that he wouldn't buy a new pair of shoes until he found some that were union made. He said that he'd been looking for some time and this was the only thing he has come up with. I didn't realize it at the time, but I really had no appreciation for what he was saying. I've heard people talk about buying stuff union made before. I've known people that did go out of their way to find stuff that was union made, or made in usa, or whatever. I myself go out of my way to buy stuff made in usa, but I still didn't have the appreciation for what he was talking about.

And then he shows me his shoes.

So he's got this fairly big hole in the bottom of his shoe. When he said that he was waiting to find some union made shoes, I didn't even think that there might be some sense of urgency to find a new pair. I remember as a kid wearing out shoes like that, but hey I was a kid. I haven't worn out a pair of shoes like that in a long time. It didn't even cross my mind that his shoes would be that worn. The day that we had this conversation it was raining quite a bit. I asked him if his feet got wet and he said "yes but I just walk around the puddles". I would like to think that I make decisions that are consistent with what I believe, but I don't know that I've held out like that before. I guess he's been looking for shoes for a while and he still won't buy a pair even though he needs them. When I think about somebody willing to hold out on new shoes because of their principles, even if it means cold wet feet when it rains, it inspires me to do the same. You don't meet too many people like that these days.