Torture of the Toes

Here we are. The first day of October. We are officially in Autumn. I love Fall. I love the changing of the colors, apple picking, pumpkin flavored everything, Halloween and Thanksgiving. Tell you what I don't love about Fall - shoes. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE shoes. I read that the average person has ten pairs of shoes . . . obviously they didn't poll me in that questionnaire because I would have skewed the data with my outlier answer. I actually don't know how many pairs of shoes I own because I am afraid of what the sum might be. But . . . my favorite kinds of shoes are sandals and when Fall comes and it is time to let the open-toed shoes hibernate for the winter, my feet don't like it.

Yesterday I wore a new pair of flats. **Side Note: They are super cute. Black, with tons of tiny sequins sewn all around them. Just in case you needed a visual.** By ten o'clock, my dogs were barking. I already needed to put band aids on my heels so I would be able to shuffle through the rest of the day. This is the part about Fall that I have a hard time adjusting to. I have all these cute flats to parade around in, but my feet are not happy about the new tenants. My toes cry out with every step, especially the big toes who are used to having all this lovely space and fresh air. My heels try to prepare for combat, but ultimately end up in the infirmary with battle wounds.

I dread this season of year time and again, for this very shoe reason. I know that I just need to plow through these next few weeks of discomfort and I do so by careful footwear planning. For example, I wear the shoes that I have not yet made a truce with on days I know I won't be walking all over Minneapolis. Or I might put a back up pair in my monstrous purse in case I can't take it anymore. But I am a prideful foot wearer and will endure this Chinese Water torture of the feet for longer than most people probably would and I will do so with little complaining. Why? Because nothing sucks the cuteness out of a pair of shoes like a whine session.

Maybe you are currently struggling with the same issue during this season too. I am here to bring comfort and encouragement to you, my blistered friends. Remember, these next few weeks are going to be awful, but by Thanksgiving, your enclosed shoes will love your feet and your feet with love them back . . . well, what's left of your feet anyway.