They say, “With age, comes shrinking”.
Gravity is the culprit and I am no exception.
I was once 5’ 4 ½”, but now measure 5’ 3” at the doctor’s office. This explains why cabinets are higher now and the upper reaches can only be accessed by standing on tiptoe.
The truth is, I am now a shrinking woman. This is not a huge surprise.
But did you know FEET are also affected by the creeping/creepy years
I have just learned a second truth about aging –
BIGGER FEET!
Because none of my regular shoes fit anymore (which I thought was because of the intermittent swelling of BigFoot), I was recently fitted for new shoes.
The measurements were taken the old fashioned way you know by an orthotics expert who used one of those metal things you stand on.
Out of curiosity I asked, “So, what size am I?”
And the answer was, “9 to 9 ½.”“WHAT?” I practically screamed. “I have always been a Size 7 ½ to 8! Are my feet GROWING? No, your feet are going flat.
Your arches are falling.”
This revelation required some serious mulling over.
No wonder all my shoes are too tight to put on!
The old feet are growing as the arches fall – a ridiculous/obvious fact with annoying repercussions.
For one thing I have a nice shoe collection.
It does not compete with Imelda Marcos, but includes:
Dress shoes in different colors and heel heights, lace-up athletic shoes (even though I have not been athletic in many a year), sandals in different colors and styles, boots in all their iterations, and all the various sizes of Walmart Specials to help during the BigFoot-Boot-Cane-MRI years.
Should I throw them all out and start over?
And how much more will these feet grow?
Maybe the solution is to stay inside wearing slipper socks until the feet reach maximum growth!
Life is full of mysteries.
It is my sincere hope that these Notes from An Incredible Shrinking Woman with Big Feet will inspire you to buy shoes with “give”. Although you may not know it, your feet are definitely growing.
Virginia Views 