Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog

Are feet one of the body parts that keeps growing as you age? Or have my feet gotten a little larger because I don’t impose tight confinement on them? It probably all started with my first pair of Birkenstocks (this is the second, and it seems it’s about time for a third), when I learned just how comfortable shoes could be.

These Nike Air boots are the last in a long line of that style that I used to favor in the 80s. Only these were actually comfortable and had good traction for snowy Minnesota winter walks home from work. I think they’re the oldest pair of shoes that I still have. I got them probably fifteen years ago and wore them regularly for a good eight or nine years. I have good luck with Nike. That’s what the trainers are, too.

In footwear as in many things, I’ve gotten curmudgeonly about going for comfort and practicality over stylishness, especially since I had a bout with plantar fasciitis ten or twelve years ago brought on by walking too much in my Dr Martens, which apparently did not have good support.

The toes of the shoes I buy have gotten progressively less restrictive, and I’ve gone for extra room in length, too. Whereas I was always a 7-1/2, now I don’t get less than size 8. Sometimes, they might even be 8-1/2 or 9 depending on what the style is, how they run, and whether there needs to be room for an extra pair of thick wool socks. Extra arch support insoles always go in.

Someone I know judges shoes by whether they make her feet look big. I judge shoes by whether they make my feet comfortable.