Showing off my new shoes.

What a difference a new pair of shoes makes! My knees were hurting. My lower back was in pain. My husband and I walk every day about three miles or so. Hubby commented that his shoes were mushy and could I order him new ones.

That’s it, I thought. I need new shoes, too. My shoes felt mushy. I didn’t realize it until my husband mentioned it. A few days later the new shoes arrived. My walks feel so much better. Soreness has left my joints and I’m almost off and running.

Do you remember the excitement of getting new shoes growing up? New shoes were usually a back-to-school event. Unfortunately, I was restricted to a choice of Stride Rite “Corrective Shoes.” They came in one style, saddle oxfords in the wide variety of black and white, brown and off white or all black.

The best part of getting new shoes was a trip to the city, Seattle, and going into Nordstrom Best. At the time, Nordtsrom’s was a small store that only sold shoes.

I wore those shoes from babyhood through seventh or eighth grade. I was embarrassed by my stodgy, ugly shoes, while my classmates wore anything they wanted. That’s probably why in high school I went for platform sandals and the infamous “Get There” Famolares.

I remember spraining both ankles wearing the stacked wavy rubber-soled Famolares. A friend pointed out a cute guy in the bleachers at a basketball game. I turned to look, tumbled and fell down at least six steps. Yeah. Maybe I should have stuck with saddle shoes.

What shoes did you wear growing up? Were you excited to get new shows?