Very important issues that men will never have to tackle, Vol. 1

So, I am officially Juror Number 10, although, even after two and a half days, we are still in the process of selecting the alternates. Aside from the fact that I hate being idle and despise inefficiency and am kind of freaking out about losing half my paycheck next week, I find myself more overwhelmed by another court-related issue.

That issue would be footwear.

Jurors are relegated to a free parking structure that is about a 10-15 minute walk to and from the courthouse. That's a long distance in heels, which are primarily what I pair with business attire. And, um, with pretty much everything. After the first day in which I thoughtlessly wore platform boots, I tried to match an outfit yesterday around ballet flats. Problem with that is that none of my trousers are hemmed for flats - just for three inch heels - so they'd drag on the ground if I dressed for comfort. Do I ruin the slacks or ruin the shoes?

I ended up choosing a pair of cute cropped pants that I save for spring, and was able to skip sprightly from my car to the courthouse and back. Today, however, if I wanted to continue wearing the flats, I would have to consider the only other flat-friendly, weather-appropriate bottom-option in my closet - jeans. Now, I've seen plenty of people wear jeans to court and maybe their definition of "business casual" differs from mine; but my feeling is that unless you are the defendant and pretty much lucky to be in anything but an orange jumpsuit, jeans aren't really cool for court. At least until Casual Friday.

I then considered my Cole Haan pumps that literally have some Nike Air technology in the soles. But they give me blisters just in a day walking around the office, so I didn't want to chance it walking a mile across cobblestone. Then I considered my lower-heeled, more comfortable boots, but the stilettos on those are already a few wearings away from a resole and I was hoping to get through one more winter without it. They were resoled once here and twice in New York already, which brings me to my next point, which is: HOW DID I EVER LIVE LIKE THIS?

For seven years I faced this problem every morning; as a permanent pedestrian, I was forced to build a working, walking wardrobe around my shoes. I don't remember it being much of an issue until the last couple years I lived there, in part because the styles changed from rounded platforms to pointed stilettos, but also because I had more money to invest in nicer shoes. I do know that by the time I left New York I was exhausted by this daily decision, and I've happily stocked up on heels ever since, knowing that the most walking I'll ever do is on a treadmill or through a parking garage.

Coming back to the present, I chose the platform boots again this morning. I considered swallowing my pride and wearing sneakers with a skirt (just for the walk but OMG, that hurt to type you have no idea) but then that would bear the question of bare legs in the courtroom. Alternatively, I could have paired black tights with any number of my dresses, but - no, you know what? No. I am not Tess McGill, this is not Staten Island, and it's not 1988. I need to find another option, and that option needs to currently exist in my closet.

I swore to uphold the law. I should also respect the fashion police.