High Heels

I moved to Washington, D.C. in 1999.  My very first night in D.C. I went to the lawn of the U.S. Capitol and watched the rehearsal for the Memorial Day Concert.  I kissed a boy I’d just met at that concert.  I was punch drunk in love with the city already.  As a young girl I gravitated to story telling and the greatest story by far was that of our nation - all its faults and its triumphs.  I couldn’t wait to grow up and visit our U.S. Capitol - to see her and to honor the power and the liberty that she stands for.  I even dared to dream I would work there.

At 21 I had landed myself a job in the House of Representatives.  My starting salary was $23,000 and I had two things that mattered to me about how I spent that money.  I wanted to live alone and I had to look my very best every day I walked the halls of the U.S. Congress.

I found an apartment two blocks from the Longworth building and the U.S. Capitol.  I wore my best heels at all times.  I spent every available dime (and more on credit) on professional suits, dresses and blazers that honored the halls and the office that I went to everyday.  

My boss won statewide office the next year and suddenly I worked for a U.S. Senator.  Now my walk was a little further each day to and from work and still I wore those heels.  I had a navy pair and a black pair with an ankle strap and a peep toe box that made a full day in heels doable.  I’ve saved the black pair all these years to remember who I was in those shoes.  They’ve been resoled and reheeled too many times to count.  

The point being that this is the thing I’ve been stuck on all week.  The horror of the terrorist mob attack on our U.S. Capitol is so heartbreaking that I narrowed on this one thing.  I wouldn’t even wear sneakers to walk from my apartment to work because I wanted to honor the importance of the place I went to work each day, the place that could make real change.  And these thugs wore ridiculous costumes.  These goons trashed the Capitol and put their work boots on the Speaker’s desk. 

Donald Trump has disgraced the office of the President of the United States and he incited the violent crimes.  He is to blame.  Shame to all who support in voice, in action, and in silence.  We deserve better. 

We will have better and when President Biden and Vice President Harris take their oath in two weeks time I will put on my heels to honor the transfer of power. We will bring honor back.