You Want To Talk About #TheShoe? Fine. Talk About #TheShoe. But Do Something Actually Useful First.

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Oh boy.  We’re at it again.  First it was about The Dress.  Blue & black?  White & gold?  Let’s break it down from a digital, a neurological — even a psychological — perspective.  Sorry Kim, your tucchus in that back dress did not break the internet in nearly the same fashion that the dress of dubious coloring did.

So, of course, what’s a dress without a pair of shoes to match?

If you haven’t heard about The Shoe just yet, God bless you.  But trust me: you will.  It’s already gaining traction.  My newsfeed is slowly becoming inundated with people’s opinions on which nail polish color matches: the more purple-y one or the more lavender-y one.

At first I felt like Michael Scott in The Office: “No!  God!  No!  No please God no!  No!  No!  Noooooooooooo!”  Not again.  Of all the useless drivel we could spending our time on, why do we have to argue about clothing?  Of all the things to talk about, why are we talking about what it means when we think the shoe is more purple than it is pink?

Seriously:  No!  No no no.  No no no no no no no.

But — you know what?  If you want to talk about hashtag-the-shoe, go right ahead.  I’m actually quite fine with it.

But can you do me a favor?  Do something useful first.

All this talk about nail polish matching our shoes — meanwhile there are children and adults who don’t even have shoes.  I know that’s an old and tired sentiment, but it’s still true.  The cliché does not take poverty away.  So this is what you can do:

Before you post your opinion to the world about #theShoe (or even after; I’m okay with that), take a moment to donate.  There are plenty of wonderful organizations that help provide footwear to those who need it most.  Here are just a few:

Soles4Souls – They are dedicated to helping the impoverished around the world gain access to this painfully simple yet painfully elusive luxury.   Donate money (Just $1 will be enough for them to provide a pair of shoes), or donate your old shoes.

The Goodie Two Shoes Foundation – Another wonderful charity aimed at healthy growth and development to those who need it the most.  Again, donate shoes, donate money.  Do what you can.

Donate Your Old Shoes – Do what the name suggests.  Those shoes that are gathering dust in your closet because the arch is a little funky or the color isn’t right (too purple; you prefer pink) could mean the world to someone who needs it.

None of those charities resonate with you?  Take a moment to donate a pair of shoes to your local shelter.  Are shoes too much of an investment?  Donate some (new) socks.  I could go on another rant about the importance over something as simple as clean socks, especially to those struggling, but that’s for another day.

The power of social networking and viral memes is insane.  It’s awe-inspiring.  It is something the world has never seen before. And we use it to gripe about the colors of clothing.

But I’ll be okay with that, just as long as we can channel some of that time-wasting fun on something that matters.