On Your Feet

During the months I have been dealing with pain in my feet (plantar fasciitis and a heel spur) I have had many people tell me what I do for a living.

"You must be a nurse" seems to be the predominant guess from shoe clerks and snake oil salesmen who profess to be able to help.

The second-most frequent guess is "You must be a teacher."

They usually look crestfallen when I tell them I am neither. This happened to me Friday when I stopped by The Healthy Foot to pick up a pair of inserts for my sneakers.

It made me think about these poor people on their feet all day. All they have are mass market shoes to put on their worn tootsies. Not shoes made to fit them but shoes made to fit anybody.

The list of people who are on their feet a lot must be pretty long. Store clerks, mail carriers, policemen (who walk the streets), assembly line persons, and of course nurses and teachers are just a few of the careers that require healthy feet.

My husband is on his feet a lot for two of his three jobs - farming and septic tank installation (firefighting being the third job; he's on his feet there, also, when he's actually on a call). He wears a size 13 shoe and has toes that are longer than my fingers. His feet used to cramp up on him; once so badly I had to take him to the emergency room. He also had a bout with a heel spur several years ago. But he hasn't complained of his feet in a long time.

My nephew on my husband's side of the family has feet that are now in size 16 shoes and he's still growing. I can use his sandals for snow shoes. I imagine when his big feet hurt, everything about him hurts.

My feet are size 7 and my toes are short and stubby. I have always thought my feet very ugly and consequently I generally ignored them. I was always told I had flat feet and would one day have trouble out of them, and I suppose that day has come. I will not take my feet for granted again, I think, regardless of what I think they look like.

To all the people who have to stand up all day, my shoes are off to you.