IT’S TIME FOR NEW SHOES

One of my genetic misfortunes is odd shaped feet. Mine are long and narrow. Also, my left foot is a size bigger than my right. To add insult to injury, my left leg is about a centimeter shorter than my right. As you can imagine getting shoes to fit is quite a challenge. I’m usually playing an odd game of looking for the best shoes I can find, then trying several sizes, and adding an extra sock to my right foot before I find a comfortable combination.

It’s the desire for comfort that kills me. As soon as I finish my shoe shopping with just the right combination I never want to go back. I wear a comfortable pair of shoes to the absolute end. I simply don’t believe I’ll ever get it right again.

The last few months something sneaky happened to me; my feet started hurting. Some of it seemed to be just bad luck. I stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle. However, after weeks of nurturing the sprain, it just would not heal. I avoided running for a few weeks. I rested it. I kept it on ice. It would improve, but never completely heal. Each time I thought I should give running another chance, my ankle would swell. Lately, even my knees would start to hurt.

About a month ago, some friends came to visit me with a prized gift – a new pair of shoes exactly like the old ones. I was thrilled, but I was unwilling to believe I needed a new pair of shoes. So I hid my new shoes where none of the kids would disturb them and kept wearing my old shoes. I was being a shoe miser. I would wear my old shoes to the very end and keep the new ones on reserve.

Yet, the pain in my feet continued. I kept trying to find a means of healing that did not involve new shoes.

Last week, I broke down. I took my new shoes and tried them on. I couldn’t believe it. I had forgotten what a new pair of shoes felt like. They were full of padding at just the right places. The support on my ankles kept me from an easy twist. Within a few days all of my foot, ankle, and knee pain were gone. It was time for the new shoes.

I found myself wondering if the new shoes had a lesson to teach. Are there times in life when we need new shoes for my thoughts, spirits, and behavior? Are there times when the pursuit of ease and comfort actually takes me to a place of pain?

For many of us it is time for new shoes. Without them all the places we run will be full of pain. Sometimes we settle into a place in life that protects us from the pain of the past. We even find ways to think of our desire to keep the old as frugal. Yet life demands something new. Life is by nature full of different seasons and transitions. Also, the quest for personal renewal is a never ending task. Sometimes if it has been a particularly difficult journey the most comfortable place is to settle. The time may come for us to take off the old shoes and acknowledge they have done all they can do.

Thus we began the search for something new. It may involve many tries and failures. We find that to get the right fit is quite a challenge. It is tempting to think we will just find an available hawker with the right shoes, but we are much more likely to get the right fit if we go to a place with many options. Then we do the exploration of many tries. In the process we find our limitations. None of us have perfect feet. Yet eventually the right fit will come and when it comes new possibilities begin. The pain of the past dissipates and a new journey begins.

If today you are tired and weary or if comfort has become too comfortable; I suggest you try a new pair of shoes.

Come run with me.