I am a shoe. Just a regular old shoe you might see in a regular store. I am black with white stripes and shoelaces. I have a gray logo and gray sides that make a very dull appearance, so there is nothing really extraordinary about me. I was priced at $19.99. I think I should be worth much more than that. Sure, there is nothing really unique about me, but everybody, including me, has a priceless worth. I was made in a shoe factory and shipped to a shoe store. I really do not remember much about it, however, I remember the shoe store I was in for many days to come.

The store was not very big, but was packed with rows and rows of different shoes. I remember the other shoes, like the running shoes, walking shoes, hiking boots, and even snow boots. They were all colorful, with special accessories and different looks to them. I was nondescript; I did not really stand out compared to my neighbors. Being a shoe, the biggest dream was to get chosen. It was the ultimate award, and shoes will do just about anything to get picked. For this reason, I was laughed at most of my time in the store. Most shoes get out in two, maybe three weeks at most. I was there for 8 months, and it seemed like I would go nowhere. However, I knew that my day would come and I clung on to that hope.

It was that fateful day, sometime in October, when my soon-to-be owner, Henry, walked in. He needed shoes. He was laughed at in school for his poor background, shabby clothes, and his worn shoes. He was determined to get a new look. I was not really expecting anything much to happen. Every time I had gotten my hopes up, another shoe was chosen. Beside me, some other shoes were snickering and taunting me, asking me if this guy was the one. Henry stopped in our row. He surveyed the shoes and his eye settled on a 40% off Converse. I was not really that disappointed, I had been rejected too many times to actually feel sad over this, but it was still depressing to not get picked once again. Then, it happened, one of the employees was stacking some new shipments onto the racks when he accidently lost his footing and fell. He grabbed my row to stabilize himself, and in the process knocked me off the stand. I tumbled out of the case and straight in front of Henry.

I was embarrassed. Not only would I get rejected, but it would be in front of everybody in my row. They would never forget. Then, I realized Henry was looking at me with his eyes narrowed like he was studying me, even though there was not much to look at. He slowly picked me up and turned me over. I was burning with shame. I could hear the other shoes roaring with laughter…then they suddenly stopped: he had put me on his feet to try. No one had ever done that for me. It was a perfect fit. It was at that moment, when I knew, my day had come.

I had a dream that one day I would be chosen. They tried to discourage and tease me, but in the end they were not powerful enough to crush my spirit and stop my dream from happening. Everyone has a dream. No matter whom they are or what they look like, they all have a dream. You believe in that dream and it will inspire you, and other people may try to hurt or discourage you, but this is your dream and you have the ability to make it happen. Your dream is yours to follow, and people can stop you only if you allow them to.