My lady told me that she almost didn’t return my call after our first date.

The reason? I was wearing Nike Air Force One sneakers.

It’s not that she’s against sneakers or casual dress – that’s all I owned back then anyhow, and still what I wear 97% of the time. Her reasoning was that Air Force Ones were not what an up-to-date man would wear even casually. I was ten years behind the times, she alleged.

I became a keen noticer of people wearing AF1s after that. I have to admit, everyone I saw with them were men, all of which were old enough to be my father.

I even remember NBA player LaMarcus Aldridge clowning TNT analyst Charles Barkley for wearing AF1s on TV. My lady got good satisfaction out of that one.

I’ve stepped up my clothing game. The AF1s have been donated to Goodwill. And today’s show is about staying up to date while not donating your authenticity.