Agony of D'ese Feet

You know that saying "clothes make the man"? Well, for me, it's really more like "shoes make the man." I'm a shoe person. Not in the sense that I have a lot of shoes. As representative of the Filipino race, Imelda Marcos would be disappointed in me. I practically live in four types/pairs of shoe. Pretty much from fall to spring, when I venture outside, it's my Ugg boots. If I'm inside, it's my Ugg slippers (what can I say--Ugg's are so comfortable!). Nike running shoes when I'm on my treadmill, and during spring, summer and early fall you'll only find me in flip flops.

The older I get, the more low maintenance I like my life to be. Who's got time to tie and untie shoes? I like to think that I'm not lazy, just practical and efficient. It's probably my way of rebeling against working in an office prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom.

When Ed and I met on our blind date, the first thing I looked at were his shoes. I had already seen pictures of his face prior to the date, so from that perspective, he was good. Fortunately, I approved of his shoes and there was a second date! When I went to church as a young girl, I would sit at the end of the pew and look at people's shoes as they walked up to communion and listen to the clickety-clackety noises they made on the tiled floor. Back in those days, practically every woman wore high heeled shoes to church and the men wore wingtips.

What I love about the photo above are the stories behind these cleats. The long practices, hot summer games, and wins and losses they have endured. I believe that our personal possessions speak volumes about us and our lifestyle choices. Prior to breaking my ankle in two places and having it put back together with two plates and eight screws, you would have found me in the occasional high heeled shoe or cute strappy wedge. Since then, it seems as if I've lost my grace and confidence. I mean seriously, if I'm wiping out at Kroger's in my winter boots, can you imagine what might happen in heels?

When I was a kid, searching for shoes to wear with my uniform was always a depressing jaunt for me. I couldn't even go shoe shopping at the mall. Nope. I had to go to some special shoe store for the big footed. I had flat, wide feet. There certainly weren't as many choices in life back then as there are now. I'd fall in love with a cute pair of Mary Janes only to find out you had to have a teeny tiny slim fitting foot to even think about them. I think there was only one style of E width shoe available and it was called "ugly." These days, I believe a six-month old baby has more shoe choices than I did when I was 10.

There was a time in my life when I would choose fashion over function. Not anymore. It is fun however, to watch others who haven't made that switch in life yet. They remind me of Monica Geller from "Friends." Remember, she bought those uber-expensive boots and forced herself to wear them, even though they destroyed her feet? To see what I'd look like in high heels, check out this video link of model runway wipe outs.

http://technorati.com/videos/youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DFFo_hyEAmHw