Just a pair of boots.
Size large. Just your regular military combat boots that were issued by the SGC.
But worn in an irregular life.
A life of danger, of constant peril, of wonder and exploration.
There were many different pairs that had worn out through the years, stamping through the underbrush on planets where the inhabitants were eager to welcome him with food, drink and festivities.
Where he had strolled through the sand of Abydos and felt the warmth of the sun reflected in his second in command's blue eyes.
Where the ice of Antarctica had slipped under his feet, freezing his soul to the marrow with despair and frustration.
He had trod on Asguard vessels where no human before him had walked, warily stepped on Goa'uld infested worlds waiting to be ambushed, and trudged weary miles through Keb to find the lost Harsisis child of Shar'ee.
He had stretched his long legs by a campfire in a time warp three decades back, crunched through Tok'ra crystal sapphire undergrounds, and frantically tread freezing water trapped and drowning inside a sunken vessel on his own planet.
He had stood wonderingly observing a light that held him spellbound, pounded down halls pursued by replicators, and crept tiptoe to find his presumably dead team, alive and well once again.
He had silently stood at the bedside of his friend while he ascended, and held the woman he loved while she cried for the loss of her best friend.
Today the boots were put aside. In the closet as a reminder of what his life had been.
The miles of wear on his heart as well as his feet.
The shoes he would wear from now on would reflect how his life was changed.
Shoes he could wear on his dock, in his cabin.
To finally be at a place of peace. Enjoy life, and remember.
The same shoes he would wear for his wedding vows today.