Flame Panda Monkey Boot

The last few years have been unforeseeably brutal for all industries, especially hospitality. As a chef, I struggled through opening and, due to covid, closing my own restaurant. I took a head chef for a trailblazing company that I always admired, but turned out to be beyond abusive and almost ruined my life. I had accomplished much, but the toll was heavy. Due to working 70+ hours a week all parts of my life greatly suffered. I quit 9/22, just in time for the 2022 STITCHDOWN PATINA THUNDERDOME, which, after being forced to forfeit the first dome, became a symbol of my freedom. They were my companions when I started to rekindle the romance between me and my longtime partner as we went on dates and long postponed adventures, letting of the stress that had nearly collapsed our relationship. They went with me on roadtrips and vacations that were not possible for so long. As they broke-in, patinaed, and accumulated beautiful dirt and grime, the cloud of pain and anger that had embedded itself into my being started to crumble and shake off. Every spill, knick, scratch and stumble on this blank canvass of Maryam natural horsebutt would become part of these boots breathtaking portrait of my first days out of an industry that is too often a dead end of mental, physical, and substance abuse. These boots and this 6 months of the Dome were not just a boot aging competition to me. They show me that I chose myself, my mental health, and my relationships over abusive industry and situation that would have destroyed my life. They are a priceless trophy symbolizing what is really important in my life; my partner, my family, my cats, my friends, new experiences, and growing and changing with those you love. The marks and scars of these boots are a roadmap to my last 6 months of healing, like the tan on your skin after a day at the beach, the wrinkles around a smile, or the sting after a glorious high five. These boots are not only a totem of freedom, but the physical proof of it