Some Canadian group - either Giles Vignault or Felix LeClerc - does a great song called Moi, mes souliers, in which the shoes go through a lot of life, and how you need to get your shoes dirty to have lived at all. The singer is kind of Humanity - my shoes have walked on the moon, gotten scuffed by kneeling in prayer, etc. Really nice song I wish I knew the words to, I find myself inspired to go look them up.