Good shoes are essential for a person’s physical well-being as any medical professional (especially a podiatrist) or high-end shoe salesman will tell you. Feet are the body’s foundation and much like construction, any structure with poor foundational support will eventually crumble and fall. No, you won’t literally “crumble” if your shoes suck (though that would be interesting to watch) but eventually you will fall… literally… as in down.
Uncomfortable, incorrectly sized or fitted shoes with poor arch support can affect your legs, back, circulation, internal organs… just about every part of your body above shoe level – bad eyesight and hair loss pending further studies.
Selecting the proper footwear is important and the proper varies per person. There is no universally perfect shoe style that will work for everybody. Though some more expensive shoes are orthopedically designed and offer more support, it’s important to note that a high price tag shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Nor should it be an affirmative indicator that that shoe is right for you. Also remember to always choose function over fashion. Those shoes might look great and they still will when you crumble all over them.
Right now most female readers are smiling to themselves and thinking “How neat, he’s going to do an entire article about shoes!!!” That’s not sexist; rather it’s respectfully and tactfully acknowledging an acceptable excessive interest in footwear that is more common to the fairer sex….whew dodging bullets with butterfly wings here. However, it is also not the case.
Maybe we’re looking for a different type of sole… a misspelling in the title would explain that. Could it be we’re “soul” searching? That seems a little generic and direct for this column’s usual fare, but let’s see where this goes.
Before we begin our soul searching, we’ll need to acquire a few items to aid in our quest. A proton pack, a muon trap and an ecto containment unit will be required in order to ensure success. Since a soul is in essence the same as a ghost, we should treat them equally and at least try to bust them. Seriously, it’s like those haunted tours—what’s the point of hunting something if you’re not going to try and catch it? That’s like Easter Egg hunting without a basket; just walking around finding and then just looking at the eggs. Is it supposed to be like bird watching… in the dark?
Sadly, obtaining the necessary equipment required may be impossible. Since the creator of said gear, Egon Spengler, passed away along with actor and director Harold Ramis (11/ 21/ 1944 – 2/ 24/ 2014). We would have to track down and bust his soul in order to have the items needed to track down and bust his soul — tis quite the impossible paradox.
But maybe we don’t have to, because maybe the sole error is in the meaning not the spelling. Possibly “sole” could mean searching all alone and by ourselves. Instead of shoes or spirits, perhaps are we searching solo? That may be difficult, depending on what era you hail from. Many of us can simply reference the original Star Wars trilogy to obtain our Solo. Tragically, Solo is now dead and yet resurrected in a prequel to younger generations. Still there is only one true Solo, and since Harrison Ford still lives, we arrive at yet another conflicting paradox: how many solos can exist if we are searching solely for solo’s soul solo?
So the subject matter isn’t footwear. It isn’t ghost busting or spiritual discovery. And it certainly isn’t relishing in the exploits of a cult classic film star. If you eliminate the silliness and focus on the serious, you are left with finding yourself searching all alone.
It’s those nights you lay alone in bed, whether someone’s with you or not, staring desperately at the ceiling. It’s riding over the road without the radio on, lost in mindless thoughts. It’s being alone in a crowd. Visibly in the foreground, but feeling like you’re simply a part of the background action. It’s the realization of finding yourself existing on a different plane of existence. It is…very hard to explain.
Without the excuse of a worried heart or troubled mind, what justifies those restless nights? What echo of thought are you hoping to hear in that driving silence? What do you think you’ll discover all alone and surrounded? It’s certainly not depth or meaning in one’s self because you’re not looking within, but rather all around.
It can best be described as stepping out of reality sideways. When the world around fades away and leaves us with an unfamiliarly unknown sense of being. Does some outside force pull us to this desolate plane, or do we go there subconsciously willing? Is it an escape or prison we are escaping from? Searching in the darkness without a light or guidance, what are we looking for?
Some can relate to this sensation, many cannot. Writing of these moments as a bout of indigestion or the effects of an exhausted psyche is the defense mech of the multitude. However, for the rest of us who recognize it for the unrecognizable event it is are still left to ponder its significance or lack thereof with wide wonder.
There is no conclusion or profound thought providing answer here. If you have or find one let me know.
I welcome almost all questions and comments via FOCUS, or email me at [email protected] or you can FRIEND me on Facebook under Saw’s Brood!
Hope to hear from ya, until then try and stay focused. See ya!
