Note: The above photo is Not me. Why would I?
Back in the day, twentysomething years ago, during a cold winter; I developed arthritis in both my big toe joints; such that I could not bear the pressure of shoes.
The only solution I could think of, was to wear sandals; and because it was winter - to keep my feet warmer - I wore them with my bright coloured loop-stitched walking socks - red, bright blue, purple and other high visibility shades. It looked stupid, I felt stupid - but it was either that, or stop walking, stay at home all day.
I was a university lecturer at the time; and so I was going into work, teaching classes, and spending long coffee breaks with colleagues, wearing this unignorably grotesque outfit. I sheepishly padded into college. And yet...
And yet, Nobody Ever Mentioned It. Nobody asked why I was wearing sandals in the middle of winter, with such garish socks; none of the students, my co-workers nor even friends poked fun at my footwear.
At first I was relieved to escape the merciless ribbing and ridicule, to which I expected to be subjected. Then the horrible truth dawned on me.
The horrible truth was that everybody assumed that this - wearing sandals and bright-thick socks in the middle of the winter - was just the kind of thing that they expected me to do. Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing worth commenting on...
It was a chilling insight, and I am chilled now just thinking about it. But by then it was too late to explain; my toes got better; and I returned to the usual shoes or boots.
But chastened.
14 comments:
This reminds me of my embarrassment of all the crazy things I have said over the years...often without liquid encouragement. Turns out no one was paying attention anyway...and that's both a relief and also totally devastating when I realise no one knows me at all.
This made me laugh.
Family and friends are rarely as deceived about our True Self as we are. .
I've always liked socks + sandals - no arthritic excuses necessary. Eventually my doctor recommended wearing trainers as being kindest to my tootsies. I only wish it were easy to find trainers that are big enough and don't imply an ambition to be a member of a knife gang.
For everyday use I can recommend the "diabetic socks" sold by Messrs H J Hall of Leicester. V comfortable. I'm sure they'd look fine with sandals.
Actually, I always nowadays wear Hoka Hoka trainers with 1.5 inch thick soles, purely because of my knee arthritis - it cuts out the shock from walking on pavements.
Hoka " are made in lurid colours - eg this is one of the most decent looking pairs I have:
https://www.vinted.co.uk/men/shoes-other/8553733-hoka-trainers-new
Hoka are incredibly comfortable, but the most ridiculous looking footwear imaginable, and I much prefer my old Clarks shoes - the type that most serious British scientists used to wear:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12517014-900-forum-if-the-shoe-fits---who-says-scientists-dont-have-soles/
I've always liked socks + sandals
Me too, and the h8ers can shove it! Heh...
Good anecdote, Bruce. I'm trying to think of any analogous experience, but am coming up empty.
Probably the most embarrassed I've been as an adult was during medical school, on a gynecology rotation, which I did NOT enjoy (as most male medical students don't). I had one middle-aged woman, more forward than most, ask me point-blank why I was entering this specialty; her question contained a thinly-veiled insinuation that I was a creep, and I am quite sure she was not really able to grasp that I was only there because it was a mandatory rotation.
@dearieme and Matthew - I fully accept the validity of socks and sandals as a lifestyle choice - but would you choose to wear bright fluffy socks, and wear the ensemble to work at winter in the rain? That would be taking fasion preferences too far, surely?
If it's any comfort, I would totally mock you for wearing those!
Thank you - it does comfort me.
Bruce, I think the real issue is that you were disappointed in being thought of as just another run-of-the-mill British eccentric, to whom most all Brits have long been politely tolerant of.
Us Americans have been aware of British eccentricism since at least P. G. Wodehouse.
Monty Python (Ministry of Silly Walks), Fawlty Towers, Benny Hill, and Dad's Army cemented it.
-Bookslinger
Do you know why your toes got better? I ask because I have the same painful problem myself- I'm wondering if the flare-up is caused by something in the diet. It is very difficult to find a comfortable shoe with this condition, especially if it requires you to find an extra-extra wide shoe.
@drizzz. No. It seems cyclical, like most chronic autoimmune diseases; but why they are like that doesn't seem to be understood.
"Actually, I always nowadays wear Hoka Hoka trainers with 1.5 inch thick soles, purely because of my knee arthritis - it cuts out the shock from walking on pavements."
So-called "orthopedic" (thick-soled) shoes are basically a medical scam. When one wears thick orthopedic shoes, one lands on the ball of the foot with a straight leg, and the shock of the impact with the ground travels through one's ankles and knees, which can cause sprained ankles and stress on joints. The original and natural method of walking is to land on the front of the foot with a curved knee, so that the shock of the impact is absorbed by the curvature of the foot and the curved knee. I personally recommend "minimalist" shoes, such as the Vivobarefoot Gobi II. These have millimeter-thin soles and a wide toe-box. These shoes also completely resolved my blisters problem, and cured/reversed my fallen arches (flat feet). This piece knowledge is another an example of what you have described unknown and suppressed solutions to common problems.
@Otto - I have no opinion on that question - but my knees will tell you that thickly padded trainers (thicker and softer the better) are objectively better for pounding the city pavements; and if I wore 1mm thin soles then I could walk only a couple of hundred, tentative, yards without getting burning pain, swelling, joint destablisation.
@Otto, walking on pavement is quite different than running on a trail. I find footwear to be context dependent. I wear thick cushioned sneakers for walking around a city.
Bruce, do look into food as a source of your arthritis. I've known a few people who have cured their arthritis by eliminating something perfectly ordinary like bread or seed oil.
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