It was a bright and early Sunday morning in the spring of 1993.  My uncle, a veteran of the United States Navy, woke me up to get me ready for church.  He looked down at my shoes and said, “boy we’ve got some work to do on those shoes.”  I thought to myself, “gosh, what’s wrong with my shoes.”  He said, “you can tell a lot about a man by the shape of his shoes & appearance.  A man should take pride in how he appears, and his shoes should always be shined and that gig line better be straight.”  Wait, gig line…ummm, what’s that?  I realized then that I had a lot to learn about the art of being a gentleman, traits that were to be parallel to my moral compass, my integrity, and my character.

As I continued to mature as a young man, I would look around and realize exactly what my uncle meant by being proud of my appearance.  He was not talking about being vain, but helping me to realize that one should take great care in their belongings.  I often think back to those days of my childhood: the days of shining my shoes with my uncle, the days of snapping beans with my grandmother on the front porch, the days of cleaning off my boots after being in the field, and the days of learning to neatly press my dress shirt.  Are these values or ideals gone from our society?  When is the last time a person has looked at their shoes with care and concern that they weren’t up to the high shine appearance that the previous generation instilled inside of us?

The professional gentleman: a version of the manicure, pedicure and grooming rituals that have eluded our society.  Perhaps rather than running out for that cup of coffee from your favorite java roaster, stop in for a special treatment to your shoes, after all, they deserve a little TLC from time to time.  Every time I stop to have my boots & shoes shined up by my local bootblack, I come out feeling great with a little stress taken off of my shoulders from a long hard day.  #therapyinthepolish #gentlemancare