A tale of two shoes

Right foot, jade shoe, left foot, blue!

Who do you suppose made the rule that says that shoes have to be worn in (matching) pairs? My curiosity drove me to wear the unmatched halves of two pairs of shoes today. I wondered if anyone would notice.

The shoes were the same style, but different colors; the difference may have appeared subtle to some. My work day consisted of working at my desk (facing my computer and away from the entry to my cube), attending some meetings, and walking in the office, stopping to meet (and chat) with my fellow worker-bees. If I spent the day simply sitting at my desk I wouldn't expect anyone to notice my feet, but I was up enough that I thought someone would say something. My curiosity had two sides: would anyone notice that I was wearing two different shoes, and would anyone tell me that my shoes didn't match. I suppose it was entirely possible that people would notice but would not tell me.

By late in the day I assumed that either no one had noticed or that someone had noticed but didn't say anything because they didn't want to embarrass me. Then Steve wandered in to chat. In the middle of our conversation, I heard the words "Are your shoes different colors, or it is the light that makes them look that way?". I couldn't help it; I started laughing. When I told Steve they were different colors, he assumed that it was an accident, telling me about the time that he had inadvertantly grabbed two different (but similar) shoes in the morning. When I told him that my choice of shoes was deliberate, that I was curious to see peoples' reactions, he laughed too.

I wonder if I should try my experiment again someday with shoes that are so different in color that the mismatch would (should?) jump out at people faster. It was definitely good for a laugh today.

A mirror image of my feet today, clad in two different shoes. I had to do it, really!