food. according to me.     Sauce and Sensibility

An ode to (comfortable) Shoes

Your feet – my feet – are so important. Take a moment to examine the size and shape of your feet in relation to the rest of your body. Little feet, big person. I have always appreciated my feet. True, I do have a debt to repay to them – many childhood years of ill-fitted shoes, squished toes and disrespected arch height – but even if I were not trying to make up for a great many months of accidental neglect, I think I would love and coddle them just the same. In addition to regular pumice stone therapy and good, thick moisturizers, I always indulge in comfortable shoes. This has been largely a matter of necessity as my wide feet simply cannot be squeezed into most feminine, strappy, narrow whatevers. I have never worn the prototypical “strappy sandals” and never will. These things don’t look right when the feet spill over the sides. But no matter. I have found a shortlist of brands that make shoes that I find both comfortable and attractive.

If there were any doubt regarding the necessity of happy feet in everyday life, and there oughtn’t be, this uncertainty is absolutely eliminated once one (say, me) spends all day on one’s feet (say, in the kitchen). My new job requires that I stand for about seven hours straight. On a concrete floor. Lifting fifty-pound sacks of flour and sugar, hoisting trays of cookies, and schlepping large quantities of dough hither and thither. I wore my vaguely-fashionable – and perfectly comfortable in an everyday kind of way – brown sneakers during my first two shifts. Then I learned the handy phrase, my dogs are barking, and uttered it so often that I rubbed a threadbare place in the middle.

I asked for a pair of Crocs for Christmas last year, thinking that they would make fine around-the-house-and-garden footwear, which they have. I told my mother that I didn’t care what color she chose, as they would likely never leave my property. She settled on bright turquoise, which I did not object to. I don’t wear very colorful clothing, let alone shades of turquoise, so these strange, plasticine shoes match exactly nothing that I own. Tooling around in the backyard in them, I do, however, feel quite cheery. I never had any intention of wearing them in public. Or around other people.

But the allure of these lightweight (only six ounces!), vented (for cool and un-stinky feet), and utterly magical shoes was irresistible. So, on Day Three of the New Job, I got smart and trotted out in the The Most Comfortable Shoes I Have Ever Worn.

Some of my favorite things about them:

• That bone-shattering ache usually experienced after standing on concrete all day is gone.
• They are made from anti-microbial material.
• My toes are vented and so do not sweat.
• The footbed molds to the shape of my very foot. They’re practically custom made!
• It’s pretty difficult to take myself too seriously when I wear them. When I get frustrated or tired, I just look down and smile.
• They are relatively inexpensive. And comfort is beyond price, anyway.

I love them so much, in fact, that I have ordered a second pair to serve as dedicated work shoes. A turquoise pair – beaches – for home, and a chocolate pair – professionals – for work. Even if you don’t need work shoes – or you have an Adult Job and cannot get away with plastic shoes (poor you) – these are worth looking into. The last time I went a-huntin’ (before giving up and ordering the Pros online because REI had sold out of them) I saw Crocs in all kinds of crazy configurations and colors, least of which was a very attractive sandal. Truly, your dogs deserve them.