SHOES MATTERS!

LESSONS LEARNED FROM INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL:

SHOES MATTER!

I WANT TO PREFACE THIS BY SAYING THAT I AM NOT A WORLD TRAVELER, WHICH WAS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS LAST WEEK WHEN I TRAVELED THROUGH ITALY.

I DID MY HOME WORK… NUMEROUS REVIEWS AND FRIENDLY ADVICE FROM THOSE MORE EXPERIENCED, STRESSED THE NEED TO MAKE COMFORTABLE SHOES A PRIORITY. I LISTENED.

ABOUT 4 MONTHS PRIOR TO LEAVING, I WENT TO REI TO SOLICIT SOME EXPERT ADVICE. I WALKED OUT WITH A PAIR OF THOSE ALL TERRAIN KEEN SANDALS. AFTER SPORTING THOSE LITTLE GEMS I DECIDED THAT THEY WEREN’T ALL THAT COMFORTABLE, SO I DECIDED TO PURCHASE SOME REALLY EXPENSIVE ECCO MARY JANES… AND THEY WERE THE ONLY SHOES I BROUGHT. I DEFINITELY SACRIFICED STYLE FOR PRACTICALITY. WHAT I COULD NOT HAVE PLANNED FOR, IS WHAT HAPPENED AFTER MY 11 HOUR PLANE TRIP.

I KNOW THAT SOME PEOPLE EXPERIENCE SOME SWELLING IN THEIR FEET AND ANKLES ON PLANES, BUT WHEN I GOT OFF THAT PLANE MINE WERE HUGE. I TOLD PEOPLE THAT IT LOOKED LIKE I HAD MISS PIGGY FEET, BUT IN REALITY IT LOOKED MORE LIKE ELEPHANTIASIS.  I IMAGINE THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN SIMILAR TO WHAT IT IS LIKE TO WALK ON A PROSTHESIS, BECAUSE I HAD VERY LITTLE MOVEMENT IN MY JOINTS, AND MY SHOES APPEARED TO BE ABOUT THREE SIZES TOO SMALL.

NOW YOU’D LIKE TO THINK THAT I WOULD HAVE WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING, AND EVERYTHING WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE- BUT NO. I WALKED ALL THROUGH TURIN, AND BY THE END OF THE DAY IT WAS UNBEARABLE.

I SPENT A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TRYING TO FIND FLIP FLOPS OR ANYTHING ELSE, AND NOW AM CONVINCED THAT ALL ITALIANS HAVE VERY SMALL FEET.

SO THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS – WHILE SHOES DO MATTER, YOU SHOULD HAVE A BACKUP PLAN, AND POSSIBLY A PAIR OF COMPRESSION SOCKS.