Nike Epic Reacts and a Husband Paying Attention

My husband is a complete and total sneakerhead. He has always has been. When we first started dating (when he was 20) I had trouble understanding why it was exciting that there was a new pair of Jordans coming out, or why he would want to purchase the same shoes he wore for basketball games in 6th grade.

Alas, I’ve now just come to accept it. He has a budget for shoes and as long as he’s not blowing our savings to get the newest pair of whatevers, I let it go.

Yesterday I was working from home and not one, but two shoeboxes were delivered to our porch. TWO. I texted him. He confirmed that one pair was for him, and the other pair was for our son.

Our son is not yet one. Our son does not yet walk. Our son already has a pair of AJ 11s waiting for him to grow just a smidge more.

I rolled my eyes. I responded with an “ok, cool.” I went on working and forgot about the boxes.Later that night as I got out of the shower, I got a text from my husband (who was like two rooms away).

Sure enough, I went into our bedroom and a Nike box was laying on the bed. He hadn’t bought shoes for our son; he bought shoes for me because I texted him that photo with the heart a few weeks ago.

I did not send it to him with any hopes that he would get them for me. I have a budget for clothing and shoes too, and could’ve opted to purchase them myself. When I send him stuff like that, it’s mainly because I want to demonstrate an interest in the things he’s interested in. It’s like when he sits through an episode of This Is Us with me. He doesn’t care about Jack and Rebecca (which is crazy to me!) but he wants to share an experience with me.

Although this is a more expensive example of doing it, I do feel like he and I make specific efforts to show an interest in each other. On the surface, we don’t share a lot of interests. He likes to spend his time watching sports, playing video games, working with his hands and relaxing. I like to read, exercise, clean and move constantly. We’re a good balance though – I keep him moving more and he helps me chill out. I have taken a serious interest in college hoops that I never would’ve found without him. And he is learning to enjoy the nightly laps around the neighborhood that I’ve imposed on our family during the warmer months.

Anyway, I tried on the shoes and I like them as much in person as I did online. They are sleek and not at all bulky looking given how comfortable the sole is. So far all I’ve done today is drop my daughter off at school, but I’ll be in the gym tomorrow to put them through the ringer.

TLDR: Nike Epic Reacts are a nice looking, comfortable shoe. Whether they turn me into a faster runner is TBD. And it’s worth it to pay attention to things your spouse likes, no hefty price tag required. It leads to warm feelings and nice words, and those are never bad things in a marriage.