new shoes/spring back in my step

I was feeling pain in my right foot in January, which made walking painful.

But I didn’t panic because funnily enough, I already had an appointment with a podiatrist on the books to remove a callus. I’d raise this issue too.

I came quite prepared to my podiatry appointment with my running shoes and hiking boots and an explanation of my symptoms and dates. The doctor took x-rays and asked questions and before he departed, I mentioned, I thought I was overdue for a new pair of sneakers.

Did he have any suggestions for shoes based on my diagnosis? 

He immediately replied, “Go see Ray out at RnJ Sports out in Rockville.” Ray was his go to shoefitter. 

And so 10 days ago, I headed out to Rockville and was there a hair past 10AM when the store opened to see this infamous Ray. 

Perhaps I was skeptical of this shoe fitter Ray because I had a dream where he offered questionable advice. 

What ensued was a 2 hour shoe fitting with thorough explanations of my various foot conditions and how he’d work on finding the right fit. He underscored that once I put these shoes on, it might feel like a clown shoe, as they’d be much looser and more spacious than what I’d been wearing on my feet prior. 

As I tried on each shoe, he encouraged me to notice how my toes were responding and the space and pain I’d been feeling. 

I walked out of the store with a new pair of shoes and feeling hopeful for my feet and body. 

Thanks to Ray’s guidance, I’ve made some tweaks in not just how I wear my new shoes, but which shoes I need to stop wearing. Ray made me realize I was crushing my feet and precious toes in many of my shoes. I have been wearing shoes that are entirely too small for me. OY.  

And do you know what’s amazing? That foot pain I was feeling 5 weeks ago is GONE. 

Likely the foot pain I had been feeling was caused by an ill fitting shoe. And the pain from an ill fitting shoe was cascading a big negative feedback loop in my body. 

In fact, it’s likely that the ill-fitting shoe is one of the reasons that I tripped in mid January and got a hairline fracture in my left hand. 

The musician Paolo Nutini croons: 

Sometimes in life the pain isn't easily fixed by just putting on a new pair of (well-fitting) shoes. Yet, our shoes connect us to the ground. Our shoes can carry our bodies through the day. 

So, what is grounding you? What is carrying you through your day? 

In that literal or metaphorical way, as we step into spring (despite snow falling here in Washington), what might you need to face and acknowledge? What expertise might you turn to to find greater support and rediscover that spring in your step? Who’s the right person to ask for that support? What might you need to stop wearing or carrying to care for your body and soul?

Wheels up, 

Ellen