Fake shoes or fake rich

Fake shoes or fake rich?



Today is my first non-birthday day as a man in my 40s! We woke up late again, around 11 a.m. I drank La Croix sparkling water mixed with Alani Nu energy drink mix. In my opinion, it’s a healthier option compared to drinking canned Alani Nu energy drinks because it has no preservatives and a limited amount of caffeine.

Sunday what? BBQ ribs at Fry’s! They always smell so good. I was craving ribs, so I checked my balance to see if I could afford them. To my surprise, someone gifted me $100! It’s good to know I have enough cash for Malik’s haircut, maybe this Wednesday, on his birthday. My barber, Aaron, is ready to cut kids’ hair. Even though it’s technically considered a father-and-son decision, I don’t really need Malik’s mother’s permission for the haircut. However, I’d let her know in advance out of courtesy. My barber charges me $20, which is $20 less than what her partner’s barber charges. Her partner’s barber did a great job with Malik's haircut. Yes, it looked weird the first time I saw it—I guess I wasn’t used to seeing a blade used on Malik’s hair. But by the second and third times, I got used to it. But let’s see what my barber, Aaron, can do for Malik!


With the $100 gift, along with another gift from my cousin, it was enough to buy what we needed besides groceries: a haircut and sneakers! Instead of making a trip to Ross Dress for Less or Burlington at Tucson Spectrum near Irvington Road and I-19, we went to Walmart for the shoes. Why would you buy fake shoes at Walmart, Reggie? Hmm, well, I don't know any reason other than wearing 'real shoes' (Nike & Adidas) back at Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind during my 1990s childhood years—other than trying to win recognition, social popularity, and respect from middle school kids who wanted to be like MJ. Now that I’m 40 and have been out of the K-12 school environment for 22 years, it’s irrelevant to me, as my landlord or my employer wouldn’t care if I wear MJ or LeBron James brand shoes! If I wear Nike, who would I be trying to impress? Trying to win over my old middle and high school crushes that I haven’t talked to in years? They’re all big and unattractive now anyway. Avia is a good brand for sneakers and athletic footwear. The only difference is that, unlike Nike, it’s not as durable in terms of longevity. But that’s okay because I’m not an extremely active person. It’s a great shoe for people who are somewhat active, like those who spend average time in the gym or work out occasionally. However, if you're an athlete who is extremely committed to heavy-load workouts, then Nike or Adidas makes more sense. Otherwise, just get good shoes that fit your lifestyle and needs. Avia shoes cost $27. I also bought comfort pads to assist with my foot balance and make my feet feel more comfortable. I feel good wearing them right now.

Shopping for shoes is done, and we’re ready for BBQ ribs, so we headed to Fry's! There weren’t many people in line for the ribs, except for a black lady who appeared to be quite impatient. She walked up shaking with an air of frustration, almost as if she couldn’t wait any longer for the BBQ ribs. It seemed like she really wanted them right away!

We got BBQ ribs and went back home. Malik enjoyed eating shredded BBQ ribs (I deboned the ribs, of course) and leftover yellow rice. I ate some too. Our day is done, and now we’re home resting. Tomorrow is MLK Jr. Day, so no school for Malik and no appointments for him—it's good! So, what will I do tomorrow? A quick home workout, writing movie reviews for the ones I’ve watched on Netflix, playing with Malik’s toys for 15 to 20 minutes, and maybe watching Trump’s second inauguration.

While I do appreciate cash gifts, I feel a bit strange accepting them as I get older. I don't want to sound prideful, but isn't it kind of weird for a guy in his 40s to keep receiving cash gifts? Please don’t feel guilty for not sending me a gift, but if you really feel the need to send something, I would appreciate it if you could make a contribution of $40 to either organization in my honor.

1) Orlando Regional Medical Center the hospital where I was born.


https://give.orlandohealth.com/give/395123/_gl=1*bfw3fu*_gcl_au*NzI2MjE0MTE3LjE3MzYyMTY2MTE.#!/donation/checkout

2) God's Hand Agency Orlando, my mom's non-profit organization. 

https://godshandsagency.com/pay-%2F-donate

Don't forget to send me a receipt for your donation. I appreciate your contribution—thanks!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why do they still call me “Reggie?”

Image
On November 20, 2025, my legal name became Chazark Holmes Wilder. Chazark Wilder means “protected as a free man in the wilderness” and reflects my time living in Arizona. I kept Holmes as my middle name to maintain the same last-name connection with Malik and to avoid confusion. I’ll explain how I feel about the name Holmes later in this blog. Community reaction has been mixed. Most people in Tucson — MMA training friends, University of Arizona community, lifelong Tucson friends, church folks, Deaf folks — were surprised but comfortable calling me Chaz or Chazark without hesitation. It takes time to get used to. Even my godmother in New York City had no problem with it. Deep family insiders in Florida still insist on calling me Reggie. At least I did not change my name for silly reasons. I remain same person whether name is Reggie or Chazark, even though personality traits continue evolving over time as life circumstances change. I tell people they can still call me Reggi...
Read more

Dear Midwest Christian Outreach (Not really letter though!)

Image
I’ve been subscribing to Midwest Christian Outreach (MCO) newsletters for 23 years. Time flies fast. What is Midwest Christian Outreach? It’s an organization whose mission is to educate and equip missionaries and evangelical Christianity faith defenders who deal with cults outside of Christianity, as well as cult sects inside Christianity. That’s what they mostly focus on—groups like Latter-day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Bill Gothard and IBLP. I rarely hear MCO make efforts toward non-Christian religions like Islam, Buddhism, or other religions considered cults in the eyes of evangelical Christianity. LDS, JWs, and Gothardism are clearly MCO’s main platforms. I believe I was 17 or 18 when I began suspecting that something was wrong with Bill Gothard’s teachings themselves. I was a devout Christian and active in various ministries at my home church, First Baptist Church of Central Florida. I remember receiving a copy of the book A Matter of Basic Principle from Don Veinot...
Read more

Sweet Sorrow Saturday

Image
I thought everything was in order for me and Malik: rent a car for two days, hit up the local wrestling tournament hosted by AZ-USA Wrestling at Mica Mountain High School, spend a few hours at his classmate's birthday party, then drop him off at his mom's so I could go grocery shopping and grab some new clothes for him—he’s growing fast. Meanwhile, at the Enterprise near the airport—where I’ve been renting cars on and off for over ten years—I ran into a problem. I realized my current address isn’t updated on my driver’s license. (Let’s be real, most people don’t update their license unless they’ve got a permanent spot.) So they asked me to show a utility bill with my current address. But since the landlord handles all the utilities and my only responsibility is paying rent, I don’t have any active TEP or Southwest Gas accounts in my name at this address. I had my lease agreement in PDF on my Google Docs and offered to show it to them, but they wouldn’t a...
Read more