When it's impractical for me to traipse around barefoot, wide (EE or EEE) shoes are comfy on my feet. Medium shoes are not. I trekked to our local shoe store this afternoon to buy a pair that could replace my beloved boat shoes, worn to the point that the sole separated from the rest of the shoe. I saw two pair that would do, though not an exact replacement, and asked the young lady, "Do you have this in ten or ten-and-a-half wide. I only see medium on the shelf."
She proceeded to look at the shelf then announced, "We only have them in medium." I thanked her then asked about the second selection. Her answer - "We only carry mediums." I thanked her again and left.
Now, I know each of us is unique, but I can't imagine that there are no other wide feet in New Paltz. Do those folks resort to my alternative, an on-line order from a company that specializes in wide shoes? Or am I truly the only one in town that can't walk into the local store and come out with a pair of shoes that fit?
I wonder whether the amount of time I spent, and continue to spend, without shoes caused my feet to widen. I'm reminded of the Chinese practice of foot binding to make women's feet small and dainty; perhaps keeping the feet free of any boundaries lets them widen.
Hmm ... I sense a conspiracy here. Maybe big shoe corporations encouraged parents to keep their children in shoes by telling them how dangerous it was to walk barefoot. Since those little bodies were just forming, putting them in medium width shoes forced their feet to conform to an arbitrary 'foot norm'. This meant cheaper manufacturing cost by making only a standard width shoe. Or, since most shoes, like almost everything else we consume, are made in China, we are being reformed to some bizarre oriental standard of foot beauty.
Or maybe I have weird feet.
She proceeded to look at the shelf then announced, "We only have them in medium." I thanked her then asked about the second selection. Her answer - "We only carry mediums." I thanked her again and left.
Now, I know each of us is unique, but I can't imagine that there are no other wide feet in New Paltz. Do those folks resort to my alternative, an on-line order from a company that specializes in wide shoes? Or am I truly the only one in town that can't walk into the local store and come out with a pair of shoes that fit?
I wonder whether the amount of time I spent, and continue to spend, without shoes caused my feet to widen. I'm reminded of the Chinese practice of foot binding to make women's feet small and dainty; perhaps keeping the feet free of any boundaries lets them widen.
Hmm ... I sense a conspiracy here. Maybe big shoe corporations encouraged parents to keep their children in shoes by telling them how dangerous it was to walk barefoot. Since those little bodies were just forming, putting them in medium width shoes forced their feet to conform to an arbitrary 'foot norm'. This meant cheaper manufacturing cost by making only a standard width shoe. Or, since most shoes, like almost everything else we consume, are made in China, we are being reformed to some bizarre oriental standard of foot beauty.
Or maybe I have weird feet.
It's age, my friend.
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