Hello and welcome to my site! Do get comfortable and make yourself at home đ
So youâve found your way to I Choose My Shoes and youâre probably wondering what on earth that name is all about, right? Well let me start by saying this isnât a fashion blog but an invitation to journey with me as I venture through this next season of my life â my 30s. I go by the name of Theresa, Tay for short, and Iâm a 30-year-old optimist born and raised in London. I decided that 2019 was going to be the year I finally bit the bullet and did another long stretch of travelling, this time around South America and the Caribbean. So I created this blog as a way of keeping my family and friends updated and as close to real time as possible in my two-and-a-half months away.  It will detail my many stories, adventures and recommendations as I share my take of the world with you step by step. Eventually this blog hopes to be an accumulation of stories from my life, and those who inspire me, travel recommendations and encouragement and Iâd love for you to engage with me through your comments and conversation.
So please stay connected and enjoy as I build. I promise to be as vulnerable and transparent as I can.
So why the name?
I Choose My Shoes was actually the name of the first blog post I ever wrote back in 2014 and it was written in rage⌠wait, let me correct that, it was written in passion... as I needed an outlet to vent my frustration over a disagreement I had with a male friend who decided he wanted to publicly argue with me over his warped belief that all choices made by women were only ever made with the intention to impress men. Yep, I heard your eyes roll, so ignorant right!? And he gave his opinion so confidently, throwing around generalisations like âall womenâ and âalwaysâ *yawn*⌠But donât worry, I took him down.
Before I did though, he pointed to my suede heels and said, âadmit it, you only wore those to impress the men here. You wouldnât have worn those shoes otherwiseâ.
Now, as a woman who loves her shoes, I drew the line right there and so responded, âno punk. I choose my shoes, not youâ (except I definitely didnât say punk).
Itâs just one of many frustrating arguments Iâve had overtime with guys but it really made me take note of the choices and freedoms I have in my life as a person and as a woman. Because of this, contrary to popular belief, even at the grand âoldâ age of 30 I still choose to live my life the way I want and not succumb to the pressures and expectations society and sometimes family and friends â letâs be real â try to place on me. I feel fortunate to be able to confidently choose my choices, and of course my shoes. But you can read more about that in my posts!
So speaking of choices, I am just another uniquely-ordinary individual with a voice as powerful as yours who hopes to use it to encourage you to choose to live your best life every day, however that may look for you. Iâm on a personal journey of becoming my best self through the choices I make so I can live a purposeful, holistic and fulfilling life whilst utilising the gifts and qualities God has blessed me with (and you may be surprised at what that looks like as you follow my stories). I donât claim to know it all, I don’t claim to always be right and I certainly won’t pretend to always have it together. At times you may see a post or two thatâll challenge your thinking or rub you up the wrong way. I tell stories that can be wafflely, my sentences can be too long as I overdo it with my commas, I talk a little too much and I get over excited about pretty much everything. But I definitely understand that my perspective is just that, my perspective.
We are stuck with the feet we have but we can still choose our shoes and create our paths. This is my invitation for you to journey with me and live vicariously through my experiences as I choose my shoes, and change my shoes, through the different places I go and people I meet. From heels to hiking boots to wedges to flip flops â I. Choose. My. Shoes.
For those of you who love adventure, a good debate and at times being just a liiiiiittle controversial, again welcome, you will feel right at home.