When I was at the peak of my middle school, just like so many other girls, I wanted a pair of converse. Specifically, white low-top converse. I wanted to be able to have a solid shoe that looked good in pictures and that I could dress up or dress down. To me, Converse were the perfect solution.

I got my beloved pair of converse in 8th grade. After months of begging my parents, they finally caved and bought them for me. From there, I would wear my converse every single day of my life. They went from squeaky clean to incredibly dirty in a matter of months, and I was proud of that.

But what makes them so special?

These Converse have traveled the world with me.

I lived abroad from 7th to 10th grade, and the converse went everywhere I went. From the streets of Venice, Italy, to the caves of Cappadocia, Turkey, to the hot springs of Sapporo Japan, these shoes are my support. My dad eventually started getting annoyed, asking why I would bring them on every trip or why I would wear them to nice dinners. But it's because these specific pair of Converse have, quite literally, been all over the world.

These shoes are almost broken. The soles are ripping, the material on the inside is tearing, and the siding is splitting. But just as tradition goes, these Converse go where I go. So when it was time for college, I wore them on my feet when I stepped into the new chapter of my life.

I don't wear them every single day now - I'm more known to wear my red Stan Smiths now - but that doesn't mean that every time I see them that I smile or think back to what these shoes have done for me. I never knew I could have such a bond with such a material object. I don't think I'll be letting go of these shoes any time soon, because they still have to carry me through so much of my life, and I'm really looking forward to it.