They might know me better than my wife

They might know me better than my wife. I get this way every time a pair of my running shoes nears the end of their life span. I reminisce about a span in which they have helped to protect me from not only elements, but myself as well.

It is with these shoes and others long since turned out to pasture that I have often composed many a thoughts. Most  have never seen the light of day, and for good reason. Some things are better left unsaid, and I have those shoes to thank. With their protection underfoot, I have been able to explore ideas and feelings out on the road.

They have heard me rant and rave about things going on at home and work, and prepare dialogue for conversations that need to be had. They have listened to me express my fears and frustrations about choices I have made and the ones still to be decided upon. They have done what they have needed to; just listen. Cheap to; I might add. Conservatively, at $90 a pair and lasting around 350 miles, that is the equivalent to roughly $1.50 a mile. You can't even buy a good cup of coffe and conversation nowadays for that price.
So in this sense, they might know me better than my wife. Would, I leave my wife for a pair of shoes? Absolutely not. However, many of those shoes have stories, ideas, and feelings explored and exposed that they will silently carry with them embedded in their soles.