A year ago, September 21, 2017, my gf got my that Jordan 1 you see on the bottom left. It is one of three sneakers from a set and this one is called the Jordan 1 Red Elephant Print. There is a black version (UN-SUPREME) and a white version as well, that all follow the same scheme and print setup. Growing up I always loved sneakers. If you knew me growing up this was pretty obvious. My parents didn’t buy me sneakers so I took care of the ones I had and accumulated more and more, slowly over time. I went through phases and being born in the mid-80s I saw a myriad of sneakers come and go and fads come and go and styles come and go. Some styles are timeless and some are just momentary, but when it comes to Jordans, time can do nothing but age them like a fine wine.
I had a good collection going into college but in my addiction I lost many to just trashing them, selling them, or getting them stolen. I didn’t really care about my hobbies while addicted to opiates, especially those that cost money like collecting sneakers because I needed money for... other things. I got clean for some time and went through a pretty serious Air Max phase and designer shoe phase from the late 2000s to 2011ish and the closet was full of Diesel sneakers and True Religion sneakers, but those were just the seasoning. My Air Max’s were the meat and potatoes. I relapsed and went through a lot during my relapse. My health took a turn for the worse and I started having severe panic attacks and was in the ER nearly weekly... in March of 2016 I decided to get clean and turn my life around and I have been clean and sober since April 1st, 2016. My mother got me two Air Max’s for Christmas for a great deal from FinishLine that year and I have not looked back. I struggled with panic attacks in my early recovery and all I had was playing Xbox and getting back into the sneaker culture that I used to love. On September 21, 2017, my gf got me those Jordan 1 Red Elephant Prints for a great price off of StockX and together we have both enjoyed a hobby and she has started to love the hobby and community as well. I have someone I can actually share my hobby with and now my
hobby and passion even helps me make money. Nothing brings me more joy than getting new releases and reselling them for a great price to someone that needs them and knowing they can buy from someone trustworthy and safe. I have a hobby that brings me so much joy and I am so lucky. I am almost done with getting my license to help addicts get clean and I have a woman that loves me and supports me and we both have this hobby that makes us both happy. I am so grateful for everyone in my life. I am grateful for some of the people in the culture that I have met along the way Like Nick Engvall and serfreesole. I am grateful for my amazing family and I am grateful for all the lessons that J have learned from literally years of terrible decision making because today I am more self aware than just about anyone on Earth. That pair of Jordans that my gf got me is my Jordan anniversary because it’s the first pair of Jordans I got while being clean and they represent everything I want in this life. Hard work, daily gratitude, self checks and balances, and cleaning my soles are the most important parts of my weekly routines and I would not be here today without my family and all of you. I have roughly 32 pairs of sneakers now and I treat them all equally. I clean the ones I wear at the end of every week and it gives me time to clean my shoes and return the love that they give me and it gives me time to reflect on my life. I always joke that I’m really cleaning my soul when I clean my soles because when I finish I feel cleansed and at peace. My life has come so far. Two years ago I was struggling so much guys/girls, I could barely breathe in bed without having massive panic attacks and I always felt like I was having heart attacks. This hobby brought me back from the brink. My dream is to help addicts get clean and to one day one a sneaker shop and to work with Nike to help my cause and to help with my addiction goals and recovery goals. A dream of mine is to make a shoe one day with Nike and for my life to be rooted in peace and love and honesty with my gf forever at my side. My dad makes fun of me for the shoes I have and my mom supports me but doesn’t wanna hear about them but she helps and I am so grateful. I have an amazing life. Sneakers are so much more than just something you wear on your feet. Everyone has “sneakers,” that thing they enjoy that means everything to them that allows them to express themselves. I’m so very honored to be a part of a community that does so much for me and I am so lucky to have support and I am so grateful for the woman that stands beside me (while wearing fly ass shoes) and I am so grateful that she remembers all the little things. She bought me the Jordan 1 Pine Greens for this years Jordan anniversary and yesterday I laced the right foot with the green lace and tonight it made me want to take a picture of all my Jordan 1s and just reflect while smelling them all (because new Jordan 1s are the best smell) because today was a beautiful day. I am alive and able to work on myself everyday and I am making such great choices today. My collection is a symbol of my life and my love for everyone and my love for myself. Self-love has brought me to heights I forgot I could reach. Thank you friends and family. Thank you sneakerheads who have been there for me the last nearly three years, thank you Sarah... you are the concrete under my feet so I am able to stand strong and tall. Your love gives me so much courage to be me and I love you.
What are sneakers to you?
Gregory Ingerson
