It was a frosty New England winter night when I pulled into the parking lot of the Auburn Mall. I was working a delivery route that took me 250 miles through small towns in western Massachusetts. My job was basically to be a mail man for small banks. Come rain or shine, come snow or high water, the checks must be delivered. That year the weather had been particularly frigid. The dented gray Hyundai hatchback work car had a moderate heater at best. The January squelch was bleeding into my sad summer sneakers, my feet were freezing. It was time for new shoes. All my life I had been a sucker for low rise runners, preferably Nike or Reebok. However my needs were changing as was part of my identity. I scanned the shelves at Famous Footwear to discover a pair of black & gray Columbia hiking boots. They were 50% off and they looked warm. Most importantly, they were my size. I snatched them up like a greedy miner who had just unearthed gold. I didn't even wait to ge...