People look at your shoes first

I always heard this saying growing up. Someone told me that the first thing people look at when they see you is your shoes. I hope not..I wear really grungy shoes most of the time. I guess I'm not that concerned about appearance.

I posted before about how weird it was to meet an online friend in person. Seeing what someone you only have known online looks like is a slight shock....usually nothing like you imagined. But actually, because you know the person, you adapt really quickly to how they look.

I talked about how shocked I was to have to adapt to body language. That is such a separate thing from appearance that it is almost like another sense. You know how you have a sense of sight, sense of smell....reading someone's body language is like another sense. Well, today I added one more sense to my list. I decided to call a friend who I have known online.

My friend and I have seen each other's picture, so that we are used to. But I was totally unprepared for how nervous I would be about having my friend hear my voice. I kept thinking about the saying about the shoes. I think your voice is one of those things people notice first. Weird, I know, but I guess we all wonder how we sound. But just like body language is a whole new element in communication, the voice also is another entirely different, and complex element. The way we say things...the inflection, the nuances...really changes things. I think the shoes would be the last thing I would think about if I met any of my online friends in person. I would be so overwhelmed by all of the other elements...shoes would take a back seat.