clever, shoes, mile

As I was getting ready for work this morning, I remembered that I had a meeting today with a student group that had caused me some grief in the past.   I have to work with them, so I got dressed with an eye toward a carefully calculated impression.    Long sleeve white dress shirt with a UA logo indicating that I was part of the establishment and would be expected to follow the rules.  Sleeves rolled up to indicate that I was someone prepared to work.   Dress pants - and my dressier flip-flops - an indication that I'm cool and that I can relate.   Or at least that I'm trying to fool myself into thinking that I'm cool and that I can relate.     I never put this much thought into what I'm wearing under usual circumstances, but this group had been stubborn and I was going to need all the help I could get.

So, image complete, I headed into work.  And when I checked my calendar, I realized that I also had a meeting today with the Office of General Counsel - i.e. the lawyers.   And while flip-flops might be appropriate for a meeting with a student group  - they would not be appropriate for a meeting with the lawyers.  

One of my co-workers and I headed up to the student union for starbucks and I mentioned my footwear issues and that I might have to go  home and change shoes before my meeting.   He asked what shoe size I wore (10) and then offered to let me borrow his shoes for the meeting.   He had a backup pair in his car and no meetings - so, it would work out fine and though I had to go sock-less I was in much better shape than before. 

I 'shoed-up' just before my meeting and things went fine.   Back to flip-flops for my second meeting and that went fine too.

They say you have to walk a mile in someone's shoes before you really know them.  I didn't quite cover a mile, but I was impressed by his generosity and I appreciated it.  

I learned a lesson about planning and still ended up making the right impressions.

The rest of the day has been pretty much business as usual, but I'll head out of here in a much better mood than I had yesterday.

later...