Thursday, May 28, 2009

Shoes make the outfit

I think there is something about getting older. Feet become more important. Not just any body's feet--my feet. Those aren't my feet in the picture. I've shown you my feet before both here and here. (Not beautiful, but they get the job done.) And while I care about what my feet look like (no gross yellow nails, bunions, or cracked dry heels if I can help it), I care more about what they feel like these days.

As a kid, I rarely wore shoes in the summer. I even had running races on a gravel road with those feet you see above. (My cousin always tried to beat me to the bridge at the creek. I took great delight in kicking his b%*$!) My feet were so calloused, I never even felt the rocks. Thirty some years later, I would never do that to my poor feet. My mood is directly connected to the comfort of my feet. Any wonder that the shoes are the first thing to come off when I get home? Or that I spend more time shopping for footwear than almost any other article of clothing? I'm always looking for the ultimate comfort shoe!

There are some adorably cute shoes out there. You will rarely catch me in them. Manolo Blahniks? No. Tennis shoes? Yes. Columbia boots? Yes. High heels? No! Pointy toe flats? No. Clogs? Yes. Barefoot? Absolutely! I know Crocs are the ugliest shoe ever, but I love them. I try not to wear them out of the house very often. However, I did invest in a croc sandal that I love and wear without too much criticism from my daughters, and I just discovered that croc now makes a (cute!) wedge heel. You might be noticing a trend here. Ugly shoes are more comfortable: tennis shoes, clogs, boots, crocs! And the older I get, the more comfort takes precedence over everything else!

My shoes are not "making" my outfit. My outfits are lucky to survive my shoe choice. However, my shoes do "make" my mood. Painful shoes rubbing blisters or sending shooting pains into the ball of my feet do nothing for my humor. So my kicks may not be glamorous, but the uglier the shoe--the better chance you'll find me in a great mood! If I'm barefoot-- look out!

Guess what? I'm going shoe shopping tomorrow. Wish me luck!

4 comments:

A said...

Have fun shopping! Hope you make great finds!

Wendy said...

I am all over an ugly pair of crocs! :) Mostly I go barefoot like my grammy before me. She was a nutty lady that wore only muu muus and never, ever, ever wore shoes, even in public! I wouldn't go that far, but I have been tempted at times!

Heidi said...

As for me, just give me a pair of socks. I prefer to wear them instead of shoes and instead of barefoot. I have a lot of holy socks.
Heidi

Gifts of Nature said...

I am a huge Croc fan. Their ugliness is negligent compared to how comfortable they are. I have the wedges...not comfortable by the way (at least not for my big foot). I own 3 pairs of Croc flip-flops, 2 dress shoes, a pair of the lined Crocs (which I LOVE!) and 3 pairs of the regular Crocs. But I don't wear them out in public as much as I used to...except for the flip-flops.

I always felt that as a teacher, I was on my feet almost as much as a nurse, and I should be comfortable...not trendy!