Cleaning one’s living space is one of the hardest things to do, and I would wager, one of the all time highest procrastination events of all humanity. You can walk around a pile of books on the floor (wasn’t it chic a couple of years ago to pile up books and tilt framed artwork on the wall? apparently that trend got old) but a kitty litter box announces when it has to go!  My problem is I like, no, Love, shoes – specifically Birkenstocks and Danskos, and Clarks and Rykä. I have tried other brands but my feet say No! Do not deviate from the plan or I’ll hurt for the whole day! 

My point here will be shoe-storage for the messilly inclined: granted, shoes come in pairs and tend to be heavier than flip-flops (at least mine are), and take up lots of space, and space is at a premium. I have a three-tiered metal shoe rack devoted to Birkenstock sandals (sadly overgrown) and a hanging canvas shoe storage device (that brought down the pole and all the rest of the clothes!) yet I have overflow to deal with.

Soo, I have come to the realization that some of my collection must be shared with the world which puts me in my present funk – how to cull my collection. I could just divide out the shoes that get a lot of wear from the colorful yet impractical (I am a school teacher and I have learned that a lot of people have foot fetishes and that the phobia starts young!), this dividing is starting to cause me anguish because when I hold a pair that may be put in the OUT pile I fall for it all over again!!! This is the major problem I have with the new-shoe-in-two-shoes-out philosophy: I don’t (almost don’t) purchase my shoes on a whim, I study them, they need to fill a color slot, they need to have an occasion, an event, a purpose – at present the main purpose (since I have met the color saturation requirement) is comfort.

Foot comfort doesn’t appear to be a designer’s number one priority – height seems to be the main goal – at least my favorite brands are grounded for the most part – yet comfort, for me, is my deciding factor in wearing my collection. Why? Because for some crazy reason, this past summer my right foot (on August 10th in Williamstown, Massachusetts, after a film screening, on the way back to my room I must have hit a granite curb just right to send one of my 5 arches into complete and irreparable injury and pain) contacted plantar fasciitis. My left foot, not wanting to be alone, joined the right and I’ve had a merry time hot footing it ever since. Thank God that Birkenstocks exist, in fact, all my shoes from their parent brands cause me little pain – but it’s not just the walking pain that I want to avoid, it’s the relaxed then need to stand and walk pain that is hard to bear. See link http://www.plantar-fasciitis.org/

The thing that kills me is that I have never wore bad shoes – my mother insisted that we girls always wore correctly sized shoes that had a thumbs room for growth and that even our tennis shoes/sneakers had support (her mother, our grandmother, had terrible feet so she was sensitive to correct footwear). Here is the weird part of my story: since my feet have rebelled, quite a few family members and friends around me have shared that they too have spent the greater part of this year dealing with foot pain, yes, plantar fasciitis.

Its like anyone in their 50s or on the cusp, has suddenly been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis! What’s up with that? This aging business has more pit falls in it than originally advertised! I got it about the wrinkles and avoid sun exposure, sagging boobs, cellulite, age spots, hot flashes, sleep disturbances, night sweats, but no one mentioned plantar fasciitis! So now when I get up from my desk, recliner, restaurant booth, car seat, theater seat, toilet, etc., I totter like I was 80 until my mind registers the pain and my heels settle into the heel cup and all five arches times 2 regroup and arch themselves over the support bridge – can then can I walk normally. OMG!

Here’s my plan – I’m going  cull out the fancy shoes that have correct soles but uncomfortable uppers. This will include boots, especially my UGGS which may have been the plantar fasciitis culprit in the first place (even though I inserted gel footpads for extra support). This will free up much-needed space for my shoe collection, that and a purchasing moratorium, sorry QVC. But, before I cease my collecting there was a cute pair of wool Birkies with a cat embellishment on the front that caught my eye …