After several years of wearing the same sneakers, it was time for a new pair. Going to a local running company where I get all my sneaks, I worked with a woman there to find the right fit and functionality for me. I have bad knees and feet issues, and with my visual impairment I like to feel completely sure-footed.
Putting my new purchase on at home to break them in before an upcoming week’s vacation, they felt so different than my old pair. They were the same shoe, same manufacturer and model but the latest version. Yet my old sneakers were so much more comfortable. I knew that it would take time to get used to them and they to me.
The day after we arrived in California, I woke up to very painful calves. I could not figure out what was going on. The hotel bed had been great. It wasn’t until day 2 of discomfort that I realized the cause for my suffering was my new shoes. I was mad at myself for not breaking them in more before leaving home but there simply had not been enough time. By the third day my legs felt better although the new sneaks still did not.
Once back home I continued to wear my old pair around the house, putting on the new when I was going out. Walking around a store yesterday they still hurt. Now I was angry at myself for putting off getting new sneakers for so long. As my calves screamed, I knew that I know better, that no matter how painful it is to move on to the new we cannot stick with the old because it feels good. That will only hurt us more in the end, sending us running back to the old, hopefully in comfy shoes.
Like all of us, I have had to pivot in my life, despite how agonizing it was. Perhaps the pain is there so that when it is gone we understand how far we have come. Until that day arrives, we have to step into the new, pull ourselves up by our laces, wiggle our toes every so often and keep on moving.
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