Shoes seem to baffle most people. It seems like it should be a most intimate knowledge you have of your feet. After all, you use them (almost) every day. Not only that, but you must dress them. Even the paraplegics who have no need for decent tread or quick lacing systems still invest in some pretty fancy footwear. So why the baffling? Let me explain…
A man of approximately 40 years walks up to the counter. One can see the air parting in front of this deliberate saunter.
“Do you have any shoes that are good for walking in water?” Instead of asking the man why he would want to walk in water, I looked around to see if someone was filming me.
“Weeeeellll, over here I have some shoes made of neoprene that you can use to ‘walk in water’ with.”
There was a long pause now. Things were obviously moving too quickly, and in too obvious a direction. The air was still parting in front of the man while he was standing still.
“So what are they made of?”
“Neoprene.”
I don’t rightly know why he bothered to ask. The answer didn’t even make it to the vacuum of space near the mans face.
“I don’t understand.”
It takes a certain amount of….bravery to admit you have no idea what is going on this early into a conversation. I admired the man. He must be very brave, this will be good. So I continued.
“What can I explain for you?”
“What size do I take?” Hmm, unusual question for such a bold man to ask. We consult the footwear he brought with him (conveniently located just to our south…) to ascertain the information. He looks bewildered still.
“I don’t get it,” he says staring at the sign for the shoes “how can one shoe go from size 5 to size 13?”
Ah, here is the crux. He seems to be an idiot. I clarify that the sizes (plural) range from size 5 (on the small end) to size 13 (skis for feet). I blush at his stupidity, smile and say I’ll be back to check on him. ( I know he’ll need it).
