For about fifty years, I enjoyed a happy and successful relationship with my feet. I took for granted the pain-free, care-free life of running barefoot in the sand, grass or, more likely in my latter days, in the house, from the bedroom to the kitchen. But somewhere around my fiftieth birthday, my feet took a turn for the worse. Not only did they start to hurt when I was walking barefoot, I noticed a sharp pain on the balls of my feet in between my third and fourth toes, especially when I wore high heels. (Oh no!! Not that!) I would describe it as feeling like there’s a rock stuck in-between my third and fourth toes. (Never good!) On top of that, numbness and a burning sensation started happening at the same time. (How is that even possible? I thought if something was numb, you would feel nothing, but not the case.) You’re probably getting the picture. Suffice it to say, my feet and I were on the verge of breaking up.  

I let the above-described agony go on for a few years (What’s a few years when you’re busy, right?), then I went to a podiatrist who diagnosed me with Morton’s Neuroma. What??? Who in the heck is Morton and what is a neuroma? I didn’t know who Morton was, and I certainly didn’t want his neuroma!!!

So, it was time to learn who Morton was and why he had taken over my once-enjoyable, but now NOT, feet. Morton’s neuroma is a thickening of the tissue around a nerve that leads to the toes. (Okay, that explains the feeling of a rock being in my foot.) Got it, but what do I do about it? How do I make it go away? And, there’s when another startling fact came to my attention. Some things in life cannot be fixed. What? I thought there was a pill, surgery or therapy to FIX everything. Not true, I was told. This is something I was going to live with for the rest of my life. 

Okay, if that is true, how do I manage it? What is my foot-plan “B” because plan “A” which was enjoying my feet for the rest of my life, was not going to happen? I was told to change the shoes I where. Basically, shoes that are flat, wide and unattractive would be perfect for me. UGH! I was in my mid-fifties by this time and wasn’t ready for THAT shoe!! I still loved my heels and have been known to buy a pair of uncomfortable shoes just because they were cute. (I know, that’s a sure sign of something akin to vanity.) The next partial “cure” (remember already been told, it won’t go away) would be a shot of cortisone in between my toes, which I did, because while it’s as bad as it sounds, the alternative was just as painful, so why not give it a try. 

Ultimately, with those few life adjustments, I found some relief. Bear in mind, I said “some” and “some” is not “all.” I came face to face with reality. I would no longer enjoy a pedicure. (I didn’t say I won’t get one, just that I don’t enjoy them. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.) I would no longer enjoy barefoot walks on anything, much less sand. I would always and forever feel like something was stuck between my toes. 

But, that is not the end of my foot troubles. I also have arthritis in the big toe on my right foot. UGH! All in all, I can no longer use the phrase “feet don’t fail me now” because they have let me down big time!! 

While this is a blog about my feet troubles, it has now turned into an ad for a pair of shoes. (It is not a paid ad. That would be nice. No money or product exchanged hands. I’m simply telling you about this shoe in case you suffer like I do.) The brand is Hoka and, apparently, they are all the rage. Several counselors at the camp I direct have been wearing them this summer including my sweet granddaughter-in-love. One night I borrowed hers for a volleyball game (another story and explanation of why I have a giant bruise on my leg) because I had left mine at home. She said as she handed them to me, “Be warned. You will buy a pair if you wear these.” And, she was right. Even though injuries occurred during that volleyball game, my feet did okay. In fact, they were great so that night I ordered a pair and can’t wait to get them in. (I’ll let you know when I get them.) Here’s A LINK to the company, but, wow, there’s a lot to choose from so take your time. I did. 

Well, that’s my thoughts for the day. Lots of life lessons right in front of us, right? I could go on to take about patience and endurance and hope and suffering, but I’ll just land it on this verse. “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9

How perfect is that for 2020?

Sometimes our steps are painful. Sometimes they are unsteady. Sometimes they are downright, not dependable. But God always is. Praise the Lord that the whole world doesn’t rest on me getting all my steps right. God has got all of this. He’s got the whole, wide world in His hands.