Happy Feet
Many older people have corns and calluses on their feet. Some burn or cut them off or put pads around them. Hammer toes. That always made me laugh as a kid. Not so funny now that I got one. Fallen arches and bunions.
They also slip their feet into narrow shoes and socks that squish their toes.
The human foot is narrow at the heel and gets wider, especially where the toe joints begin. If you look at newborn ink imprints, the front of the foot is H U G E . But shoes get narrower near the toes. Hmmmm? To quote Marvin Gaye Ain't That Peculiar.
A guy said to me “I saw a documentary on crows, and they are smarter than people.”
“Well that ain’t sayin’ much.”
Primitive people who don't wear shoes have perfect feet their whole lives. [ they got beautiful butts too ].
Caribbean people tell me when they grew up back home, they never saw a walker.
When I hit NYC in 1979, I noticed a lot of Jamaicans and Africans had Clark shoes. They were shaped like the foot. Clarks were made in England back then. Unique maroonish color and a sturdy black rubber sole. Reggae stars sang songs about them.
When I tried one it was instant love. I didn't have to walk around the store scratching my chin. I walked to the register, walked out the door, and tossed my old shoes in the trash.
But Clarks are now made in China. They are narrower.
But there are wide toe box shoes. And good hard arch supports are available..
Stiff sole shoes which take the stress off painful joints. Like Hoka shoes. But only the ones with NEUTRALl STABILITY. They're pricey. But if you can walk again?
But that alone is not enough. You have to start massaging those toe joints. And there's a lot of them. They probably have very limited range. As Dr John Bergman says, “Motion is lotion.”
Barefoot exercising. Stretching the muscles of the toes and feet. Your ankles and calf muscles are probably unbalanced and atrophied. Especially if you're older. You will know what to do quickly. . This will help to prevent tripping and falling. Might even get you dancing again.
So, start to get your happy feet back.
That firm round butt might even reappear and you'll be On the Prowl again.
Gene Bray substack