By Today, being a sneakerhead is a complicated hobby. Backdoor policies at stores, resellers and hypebeasts make it an arduous task collecting your favorite pair of sneakers (I’ll try not to sound like the bitter old guy that couldn’t score a pair of yeezy’s because the kids in front of me copped 5 pairs each lol). Although the game has changed over the past decade, I still love my sneakers and indulge every now and then in a fresh pair.
As I sat and pondered on my next blog post, I started to go through my iPhone notes for inspiration. I usually jot things down as they come and have many notes I rarely ever go back to. I saw a note I started writing a year ago which was brought about by a date I went on. While on this date, the lady spotted the soles of my sneakers glowing in the dark as we walked outside and told me “that’s childish.” When I got home I started this note titled “My shoes glow in the dark; that’s childish.”
I only had a few sentences, but looking at this note gave me an idea of what my next blog post would be. I finished up the note and quickly shot a video about it. It was easy since I was speaking directly from the heart. Check out the video below. I think its better consumed in video format, but i also added the text. I hope you enjoy it!
My shoes glow in the dark; that’s childish.
But I’m still a kid at heart. I never grew up, maybe cuz I missed out on my dad taking me to the park. I grew up, home emulating what I saw on 106 and park. That was the culture I didn’t embrace; I couldn’t embrace, cuz they didn’t embrace me. I used to walk through the school halls head down thinking, if I didn’t look at them directly the insults would subside. But they didn’t. They reverberated through the walls of my head. I hated middle school, I would have paid an arm and a leg just to be cool
My shoes glow in the dark; that’s childish.
Let’s fast forward to high school where I got my 1st pair of air force ones. Wore em so much the kids called em air force dones. The kids were brutal, but that power I felt when I had a clean pair felt so good and I needed more. I started sneaking my older brothers pairs out the door. Little did I know my feet was crooked and creases came in heavy so he would find out for sure. They say every day is for the thief but one is for the owner. That one day came and this thief got his ass beat by the owner. My brother always showed me Tough love and I respect him for that, thanks to him I quit being a petty thief and picked up a better craft
My shoes glow in the dark; that’s childish
As high school carried on, I needed a better supply. School along with playing jv and varsity ball kept me occupied, so a part time job wasn’t in the plans. Luckily God sent me an angel in the form of Mark Baylor Jr. See I met Mark through Henry. Henry was my main man, and we both had Nigerian parents, so it was always study more and payless. Pay less for the shoes, pay less for the clothes, me and Henry never got chose. Chicks were supposed to be a breeze, but up until 12th grade we aint get no slice of that cheese. That shit hurt me thinking bout it. Back to the story… See when I met Mark, he had let Henry hold a pair of his grey toe 13s, he turned around and sold me his Air Jordan 20’s for $40. I don’t know what it was about Mark, but he loved selling me shoes for the low. several years later he went from the kid selling me kicks for stupid prices to the man I looked up to for being a man and putting down the silly vices. Being part of your wedding, that shit was priceless. I love you to death, we boys until I’m lifeless.
My shoes glow in the dark; that’s childish
See these kicks mean more than just another pair of shoes. They taught me entrepreneurship; I started SneakerThirst LLC out the basement of my mom’s crib. Late night putting business plans together, I was selling 20k a year; my biggest mistake was closing up shop for a job paying $50k a year. See I dimmed the light on my shoes to hop on the corporate ladder and cruise; little did I know that my light was given from God and giving up on ownership is the easiest way to lose. I still regret that, but my shoes still glow in the dark. See I’m never going to drown in the dark. What you see as mere shoes, were the flashlight to my vision. Now I’m a man that knows God exists and trusts my intuition. My kicks don’t serve the same purpose as they did for me in high school, but I’m always gon have a fresh pair. Think that’s childish, you can hold a fresh pair.
Long Live Tobe 