Photo of a pair of shoes in the grass.

Photo of a pair of shoes in the grass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The writer/actor/comedian Steve Martin wrote the book “Cruel Shoes” and today I had a day full of cruel shoes and many women can testify!

After hours of trying to find a pair of comfortable and affordable white sandals to get ready for summer in the South, I gave up.

Actually, I didn’t really give up, but bought what could be called shoes. But when I got them home, I regretted my purchase. I spent less than $50 for two pairs of summer shoes because I need cool shoes for hot temperatures. (And I cannot afford Jimmy Choos or any other even nearly-expensive shoes).

Shoes, I learned at the “History of Footwear,” have been on our feet for thousands of years. Apparently, early humans wore leather foot coverings filled with straw. Sandals are the oldest crafted foot covering known.

Shoe fashions, according to the footwear website, date all the way back to the mystical Chinese practice of foot-binding. The high-soled wooden shoe style, called the geta, originated in Japan.

“History of Footwear” noted that an astonishing 88 per cent of all women wear shoes that are too small.

Maybe it’s not all our fault. Today, while I searched in vain for a really good pair of affordable summer shoes, a woman walked up to me to share my (apparently) obvious puzzlement and pain. We talked at length about the difficulty of simply finding comfortable, price-wise shoes that are also pretty. We agreed that there are all sorts of styles and colors and the “bling” she mentioned on some shoes. But, we wondered, “what about shoes for feet of a certain age?”  For feet that have traveled quite a few miles? We didn’t arrive at any suitable conclusion.

So, here I sit, with one pair of cruel shoes at home and another pair on my feet at the library. There’s a reason most of us kick our shoes off when we get home. Sometimes we can barely wait for that amazing little liberty. Guess where I’m headed?  I can’t wait.  And wherever you are, good lady, why don’t  you join me? We’ll testify!

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