the agony of da feet

My mother used to tell me this story about my dad, of how, in the first couple of years into their marriage he didn't have a job and had to really on his family for support (which did not sit well with my mom). He would spend all day walking around the city, knocking on doors of companies and inquiring for openings. At night, when he got home, he'd stare down at his worn shoes before slowly taking them off. His huge feet, an exotic size not offered by regular shoe stores, would be painful. And he's look at my mother's eyes and sadly shake his head.

When I come home from work nowadays, I think about my dad's feet, not because I'm looking for work and not because my feet are as large as his (no, I am a demure size 9) but because they're painful. I suspect my arches have collapsed (but then again, I also suspected I had throat cancer at age 10 - it turned out to be some small infection) because the pain is pronounced where my foot curves. And of course, I have not gone to see a doctor or a foot specialist (because, somehow, it will make it a real ailment as opposed to the vagaries of age), but I might real soon as it hurts to walk.

I've changed shoes, eliminated suspects, tried rubber shoes with arch supports (but really, rubber shoes and I are like oil and water; we appear together once in a blue moon, at remote gas stations), rotated shoes and finally decided on the things I need (which are not available here): Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Arch Supports, Dr. Scholl's Tri-Comfort Orthotics, and Dr. Scholl's Adjustable Arch Pain Relief Orthotics. Just looking at their pictures brings me comfort (sob). So those things are #1 on my to-buy list when we visit the US on December (and books, of course).

There is another method I have for not feeling my footy pain: not putting weight on them, which means not standing up or walking much - which is, of course, impossible in my work (with the blessed exception of those odd days when I stuck at the office completely) since I run around a lot.

In the meantime, my loving wife has found wonderful temporary measures at a bargain Japanese store. These are foot-shaped rubber things (gah, what is the word?) that are inserted into shoes, each one offering a little bit of relief for aching arches due to its slightly raised design. She got me three pairs, which, like lego, I can opt to wear solo or in some other combination. I love this woman.