The good people at NAOT sent me a new catalogue. I was preparing for a big trip and largely ignoring my own shopping needs because my own shopping needs seemed entirely secondary to emptying the fridge and getting the dog’s anal glands expressed. Would I consider blogging about some sandals? Shoes I already know and love and for which I would not have to go out and shop? OKAY.
I chose a pair of silver sandals, not quite sensible, that would nevertheless be practical for the daytime, and strappy enough to wear out with a dress in the evening:
At this point I thought I was going to tell you a pretty little story about how mothers need to kick up our heels sometimes, wear the shiny things that make us feel less dull, even while lost on an unfamiliar highway or schlepping wet sandy cranky children. But I am not going to tell you that story.
I am going to tell you instead what a nun once told me: Thank your feet. They carry you around all day.
No matter where I have been this summer, no matter how nerve-frazzled or how tired of wearing the same five things in my suitcase, my feet have been okay. In fact, I have not had to think for a moment about my feet, what I am going to put on them or when I could rest them, and though this is not a big thing, it is a very good thing.
If your feet have ever hurt, been blistered, swollen or toe-crumpled while away from home you know how that creeping irritation can seep into your mood, making coping that much more challenging. Mothers, away from home and dealing with creeping irritation rarely lie down at night without guilt.
The moment I slipped on those sandals, my feet breathed a little sigh of relief. There is no telling how the repercussions of that relief have subtly supported my days away, but I know from my very soles that a simple pair of shoes has indeed made a difference.
Thank you NAOT. Thank you feet.
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