Walk On

If you've been reading here for a while, you know I'm a pretty physically active person. But now with socializing nonexistent, one of the few activities that is available is getting outside (as long as you practice social distancing). Most days, weather permitting, Hubby Tony and I go out for a walk during lunch or after he finishes up with work. That gets us out of the house, gets us our exercise, and as an added bonus helps us learn the neighborhoods around our new condo.

However, all that walking led to a problem. A couple of weeks ago I saw I was getting a hole in the toe of my right walking shoe. My feet are really hard to fit. I walk out of the vast majority of shoes, because my heel is too narrow for a medium width (and my instep is too wide for narrow). Even when it’s a brand I’ve worn before I still have to try them on first. That really doesn't lend itself to ordering online.

My solution was to put a piece of thick packing tape over the hole inside the shoe. That worked well until one rainy day when the shoe got wet and the tape fell off. I replaced it, but things were never quite the same. The hole continued to get bigger, and I was resigned to put up with the problem. However, after several weeks of babying the shoe I got a text from DIL Nicole that said:

"I saw these NB shoes on sale I think they're the same ones that were on your xmas list."

Hmmm..... I had completely forgotten that back in December I had gone to the sporting goods store, tried on enough footwear to find something that was comfortable, and put a link to the specific model on my list. I'm guessing that Nicole had set up an alert on the website Slickdeals to tell her if the shoes went on sale and forgot to cancel the alert.

Now those shoes were on clearance for a great price-less than half of what they would have cost in December. This color would not be my first (or second, or third) choice, but they would do. It took me about two and a half minutes to pull out my charge card and place the order. I was not in any particular hurry and chose the free shipping.

When the shoes arrived I wore them around the house for a couple of days to make sure they really fit, then took them out for a trial run. They rubbed my heels a little, but the next day they were good for an hour-long walk. Since then my new kicks and I have rambled around almost every day. Hopefully by the time I need another pair I can pick them out in a physical store.

Five years ago today: Singular Sign