These Boots Were Made for Talkin'

Ya' know, we all have that one thing, that single thing that no matter how old we get or how confident we are, that is our Achilles Heel. We all have something, even if it's a small thing, that can take us back to a less confident time, say elementary school or high school, in a heartbeat. It's usually something simple that means nothing to someone else, but means everything to us. For me....it's boots. Plain ole' boots. You can poke fun of my hair, question my choice of eye shadow or tell me I'm stupid, and it won't phase me a bit. But let me put on a pair of these, and my self confidence deflates like the burning Hindenburg. Why? Because one look at this in the mirror:

and suddenly I'm fifteen years old. It's the high school drill team all over again. Me yearning for thick sexy calves that stretch these boots to their limits, but getting stuck with bird legs that swim around in them like pencils in a cup. Me feeling like that little dandelion, waiting FOREVER to bloom into a beautiful rose that had the boys lined up asking me to prom. Geez. Will I ever grow out of this? Every fall I dust off my boots thinking this year will be different, that this is the year my legs have magically filled out, and I have overcome, once and for all, an old insecurity. And every year, I get the same result. I guess we all need something to remind us from where we came, so we can see how far we've come, but Lord, what I wouldn't give for some fatter calves.

So I want to know dear readers, what is your tender spot? What is that one thing that makes you feel like a gawky, insecure kid again?