More than you would ever want to know about my opinion regarding flip flops

After my post about flip flops, alert reader Tom Smith (yes, that's my father-in-law!) sent me an article from the Star Exponent (a Culpeper, VA newspaper) about how flip flops can be bad for one's feet! Editorial columnist Jeff Walker mostly is annoyed that people are wearing them all the time; it strikes him as too casual. But in the midst of his rant, he goes on to claim that, "there is a price to pay for freedom, even for your feet" and has several podiatrists on the record saying that flip flops can cause foot, ankle, leg and back pain, not to mention a shorter, shuffling gait.

I have to admit, this came as a surprise to me. I've been a flip flop wearer for years now and have never experienced any of these problems. I've never even had a blister. And they certainly don't slow my walk down-- I've got plenty of friends who can't keep up with me because I walk so fast! (My pet peeve is always tall guys who couldn't keep up with me-- what were they using those legs for if not to MOVE??? Lucky for Craig he's a fast walker, also!)

Not that shoes haven't ever caused me pain. I can remember back in High School when I wore birkenstocks (I'm from Seattle after all; although I don't recall ever wearing them with socks...). Those did make your toes hurt sometimes because you'd end up lifting your toes in order to keep the shoe on. But only for the first month or so, and then your toes got stronger. So it's not like we're not talking pain and agony here, just a little soreness if I'd walked a lot.

In all honesty, if this guy is really so concerned about foot health, you'd think he'd have a problem with high heels. Now those things are terrible for your knees, ankles, and back! And if, like me, you find yourself wearing them at church while simultaneously trying to chase after little kids, then good luck! It's not uncommon for my knees to ache after church.

The more I thought about the whole thing, the funnier it got to me. When I camped out in the deserts of Namibia, I brought hiking boots for the occasion. They were terrible. You'd wind up with these little thorns embedding themselves in your socks, which would then itch like crazy so that you'd finally have to stop every twenty feet to try and dig them out. But it never worked. Those socks and thorns would make you miserable. I threw away all my socks from that adventure! After about two days of hiking boots, I switched back to my flip flops and it was such a relief! These were my favorite pair of flip flops EVER, an awesome purple pair I'd bought on Zanzibar with the phrase "4 X 4" written on the strap. I always figured they were meant for off-roading or something!

But with the flip flops, the thorns were never a problem. The little tiny thorns could never stick to anything, and if the big scary thorns for which the Namibian desert is famous (it nearly defeated the German army for the Namibians) managed to work their way between my foot and my shoe, I'd just kick it out before stepping on it. It meant that I did have to tread more lightly than I normally do, but it was a small price to pay for the added comfort, not to mention how much cooler the flip flops kept my feet!

Back when I did my backpacking through Europe trip I wore flip flops the entire time. I didn't have room in my suitcase for tennis shoes! I wore flip flops on my wedding day. And now that I'm a mom, I'm even more devoted because I can put them on while holding Kendra, the diaper bag, and Bentley's hand. And let's be honest-- I spend enough time putting shoes on my kid's feet. I don't really want to bother lacing up my shoes, too!

Jeff Walker may be concerned that we're becoming too casual in our footwear. But I don't think that tennis shoes-- probably the healthiest for your feet-- have ever been considered an more formal. He might be worried that we're sacrificing our podiatric health (Craig says that's a word). But I think there are a lot more worrisome fashion trends out there and I have yet to see any negative impact on my feet.

I say, Long live the flip flop!