Columnist: Addictions are harmless passions

I am writing this column on a Mac that does not belong to me. I am not a Mac person. I never have been and I never will be, but everyone tells me I need to buy one or my life will never be complete. I know this is not true. I already have a “Mac” of my own: shoes.

I love shoes. I love shoe shopping. I love cute, low-end designer shoes. I am a member of a site that sells low-end designer shoes for amazingly low prices. This company regularly sends me coupons to enable my addiction. I know they are taking advantage of my addiction to make money, and I don’t even care.

This pair retails for $80, the store sells them for $55, they’re on sale for $40, and my latest coupon gets them for $30. That’s such a ridiculously good deal! How can I possibly pass this kind of thing up?

I currently own 60 pairs of shoes, but it’s not enough. It will never be enough. Every time I buy a pair of shoes, I think to myself, “This will be the last pair I will ever need. This will be the pair that completes me. That weird little empty space inside of me will finally be filled up.”

There’s only one catch. Every time I open a new box, I am only excited for the duration of the time it takes to try them on and show them to my roommate. Then they go to their designated place in my closet to collect dust until I find the perfect outfit to wear them with.

This is stupid. My favorite shoes are a pair of beat up, secondhand cowboy boots I bought at a thrift store for $20. They are literally falling apart because I wear them so much. They make me feel like Clint Eastwood whenever I walk into a room, and it feels pretty great.

It seems to me like most people in this country have a similar kind of addiction. Maybe you’re one of those people who need to get the latest Apple product in order for their life to be complete.

The thing is, material possessions cannot do that for you. You could have everything you’ve ever wanted in the entire world, and you still have the same potential as everyone else to be extremely unhappy.

I can’t really say for certain what’s going to do the trick. I just don’t feel qualified to pass off some cheesy line about love being the only real solution as the truth. What I can say is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with hoarding shoes or Apple products, as long as you’re doing it because you’re passionate about it.

Reach reporter Betsey Horton at [email protected]