Are you somewhat of a shoe fanatic? Do you really enjoy the shoes you wear? Do you have several brands of shoes that you enjoy? Do you find yourself talking (spell that r-a-v-i-n-g) to your friends about your shoes?
I think it all began about ten years ago, after I thoroughly enjoyed dancing to music on my new tile floor with my bare feet. Soon thereafter, I suffered a year-long battle with plantar fasciitis. It’s a very painful condition in which just stepping out of bed in the morning wreaks havoc on your heel – and the pain often continues for hours. Finally, after wearing a foot support, that is more like a boot, every night in bed, and wearing orthotic arch supports in my shoes, the pain went away. My feet became very special things in my life.
My first shoe discovery was SAS shoes. Those shoes, together with my Spenco (from Kaiser) orthotic arch supports, not only made my feet feel heavenly, but they also helped me to feel confident that my foot pain would never reappear.
Fast-forward about ten years, having worn orthotics in my SAS, and a variety of other shoes.
I found myself strolling through the outlets in Camarillo. Lo and behold I became intrigued by the variety of Crocs shoes in their outlet store. A funny looking pair of Crocs that I tried on seemed very comfortable. I purchased the pair of Crocs Ventures. I wore them out of the store without my orthotics! I could not believe my feet! The shoes were so light, I was walking on air, and my feet felt supported and cushioned with every step.
Daring to Venture Out
Still wearing my Ventures, about two years later, I returned to the Crocs outlet for another pair – maybe a different color this time. But, alas, I learned that Ventures were no more – they had been dropped by Crocs. What was I to do? I almost feverishly looked around for another style of Crocs. I wanted something just as comfortable as I had. Nothing. I was on my way out of the store when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a pair of interesting-looking loafer-type shoes (the Santa Cruz) with stitching that looked as if it were about to unravel. Intrigued, I asked the salesperson if I could try these shoes on. Voila! Not ONLY were these shoes attractive on my feet, and not ONLY did I feel like a very cool, laid-back, beach-walking Californian, but I also felt VERY comfortable. Again, no orthotics needed. Sold!
Fast-forward six months, having worn my Santa Cruz Crocs almost every day – as shoes and as slippers. A light bulb lighted within me, prompting me to immediately Google the Crocs website. Wow. This was exciting. Just look at all those potentially comfortable Crocs! Yesterday Fed Ex delivered my third pair of Crocs (I’m not counting the pair I use outside in the garden, and to wear on the steps into and out of my above-ground pool). This time it was Crocs’ white tennis shoes (Hover Lace Up).
What’s my point here?
I think my point is that you’ve gotta love what you wear – on your body and on your feet. If you love it, you’ll feel like you’re flying high. It’s definitely an upper.
Hey, what do I do if my Crocs’ built-in arches don’t do the trick, and my heel pain returns? I suppose I’ll just return to my SAS shoes. What will I do with my beloved Crocs? I think I’ll mount them on the wall to look at. To remind me of those happy days when I walked on air, and strode through town with a smile.
Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com
