"You Have Feet In Your Shoes"~ Dr Seuss

“Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle, and the dance (or the walk)…is a celebration of that miracle.”~ Martha Washington

juli: There is a Buddhist teaching about gratitude for your feet. It made me wonder...How often do we think of our feet? Just when they hurt?

Soon after studying this teaching I began taking the stairs (instead of an elevator or escalator). As my foot lands on the first stair a ‘prayer of gratitude’ is silently spoken, an awareness of the blessing it is to have feet, to have legs, to be healthy.

My father died in November 2011. He did not have feet, nor did he have legs; complications from surgeries during the last 2 decades; surgery that was necessary because of injuries sustained at the age of 23, 5 years before I was born.  I did not know my father in any way except in pain. Not that he complained. In fact when he did say something about pain it was only because it was beyond what he normally dealt with on a daily basis; Pain that thankfully is beyond my comprehension.

So when I feel the step below my feet I also think of my Dad and say a small prayer of gratitude for him and his example. When he had surgery in 2008 to remove his second leg I protested suggesting he might want to think about his decision a bit longer. He responded by saying “I already know what it is like to live without one leg. Having the other removed will just be a little less convenient.”

Choosing boots to walk the Camino made me ever more aware of gratitude for feet, legs, and a body that is healthy. “It will do” is not an acceptable description of footwear chosen to support feet that will walk 1000 km.  I tried 5 pairs of boots, wearing them around my home, up and down the stairs before I found the boots that are worthy of my walk (because they are comfortable all day long!)

The fact that they match my backpack is just a nice coincidence.

stacy: Upon reading Juli's thoughtful insert above on footwear, I have to admit, I saw my black hightop Salomon hiking boots, tried them on, and thought, 'these will do.' Black to match everything, and hightop for both ankle support and relatively stylish with any length of pant. I did, however, put more thought into the purchase of socks. At the local store for runners, I chatted with the helpful salesclerk who educated me on the various types of anti-blister socks they offered. She recommended white for the hot, spanish weather. I quickly informed her that I would need black, being that my hiking boots were black, and I didn't want to be tacky. She looked at me, straight faced and speechless for a moment, then said, 'you don't do a lot of hiking, do you?'

“Walk as if you are blessing the Earth with your feet.”~ Thich Nhat Hahn

                                   

Picture: (left to right) Northface (#4 shoe I tried, comfy but rejected); red pumps (fabulous but maybe only good for walking 2 blocks); Stuart Weitzman (Stacy can wear these all day at the Salon. How long she would last on the Camino is debatable); Salomon (Stacy's final choice). Not pictured, Merrell's, Juli's final choice.