Day 760: 5 Minute Freewrite: Tuesday-Prompt: leather shoes

On the first day of school of Second Grade I was embarrassed because I had to wear my corrective shoes. My ankles were weak and turned in so I needed special, sturdy shoes. They were the lace-up, black and white, chunky leather shoes called, "Saddle Oxfords". I called them clodhoppers.

Mind you, this was back in the day where the dress code for girls in a public school was a dress or skirt, which made my clodhoppers stand out more. The teasing was endless and I hated school. And to make matters worse, I had to constantly polish those suckers.

I had plans to burn those corrective shoes when I was no longer required to wear them. Two agonizing years went by and that day finally came, however, I ended up wearing those shoes for another whole year! That was because Saddle Oxfords became popular and everyone was wearing them. Thankfully, that fad only lasted one year.

As much as I hated wearing those shoes for three years, they did their job. I took tap and ballet lessons for six years, played sports in school and bowled in three leagues a week, which led to tournaments for countless years.

In 2002, I could barely walk and the pain in my ankles was horrendous. I went to an Orthopedic Surgeon and after the exam he told me that I had Tarsal Tunnel. It is the same as Carpal Tunnel but it is in the ankles instead of the wrists, and that active people get it. After surgeries on both ankles I was able to walk again; no Saddle Oxfords required.

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