Flip Flop Nation
Usually footwear is not my preferred choice of topics. My personal
footwear choices revolve around shoes and socks. Always have, even as a kid. I played
road hockey in dress shoes. They were just more comfortable. Many years later I
had a mentor who suggested that appropriate footwear should fall into two
categories, comfortable, and sturdy enough in case you need to run for your
life.
In my career and personal life I always kept that in mind, so
much so that an unconscious habit formed in buying shoes. In my later career I
wore tactical boots that were waterproof but breathable. They laced right up
the ankles to prevent me turning an ankle on slippery ground or getting in and
out of my truck. Over my many years, there were cowboy boots, ankle boots,
brogans, running shoes, rubber boots, loafers, and assorted walking shoes. Whatever
my day to day adventures required at the time.
I never quite got the whole sandal and flip flop thing,
especially on airplanes. In case of a need to vacate a burning airplane, who
are the people that get hurt the worst? Not the ones with their shoes on. They’re
the ones having to carry the others through burning fuel and sharp objects. By
that time the flip flop wearer’s feet are so badly damaged they won’t feel comfortable
ever showing their feet again. Same thing in the workplace. Do you think it’s a
good idea to wear sandals while changing out the fat in the deep fryer?
Suffice to say that except for the beach I rarely go
barefoot, and even then it’s usually in a pair of aquasox. I have an extra excuse
now. Any wound to the foot of a diabetic can be deadly. There has been a spike
in a disease that’s found in the water here. If you catch it, the area around
the infection site (usually an existing wound) begins to turn purple and as it
spreads you feel like you’re on fire from the inside.
What started me on this post are the flip flops sitting next
to my new office chair here in the tropics. This is not my first pair. Years
ago I bought some really cheap ones to use as shower shoes when I
traveled. They dried quickly and kept me from picking up any foul foot issues.
I threw them out last year when they had seen their last journey. Here in the
tropics flip flops are great for around the house. I splurged on this new pair
by spending $3 at Kmart.
I make sure I wear them when taking out the garbage and
recycling. All these little lizards seem to choose just anywhere to relieve
themselves, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a door, wall, or the middle of the
garage floor. The lizards and other creatures have no sense of etiquette. It’s
like it used to be, before we trained the dog owners.
So my flip flops have come in handy. I don’t wear them when
I go out. They are impossible to drive with. Back in the middle of the dark
ages when I was learning to drive, my instructor (from a real driving school!)
put his foot down on the topic. He described quite eloquently what happens when
you need to do an emergency braking maneuver, but you can’t get to the appropriate
pedal because your footwear is tangled up and halfway off your foot.
However, here in the tropics I’ve found it’s a better
experience when you can feel the world beneath your feet. So when I’m in the
office, I spend most of my day barefoot, and to the chagrin of my neighbours,
shirtless. Though there is a bit of “pot” and “kettle” at play with that. As
soon as I get back after being out, I find the relaxation is quicker when I
take off both shoes and socks. Somehow being barefoot allows me to get back to my “quiet place” just that little bit faster.
Sadly, it’s also quicker for the little bloodsucking insects
to take advantage. For some reason they only like my right side. I got here two
months ago, and got devoured, but only on my right side. I had allergic
reactions to most of them. Thank all the good powers that be for Benadryl anti-itch
cream! I had one bite on the back of my neck (right side) that grew to quite
the size, almost as big as a boil ready to be lanced. Within three days it was
gone. The little critters love my right ankle, the top of my right foot, and
the back of my right knee. After two weeks of gorging on my highly prized
blood, they backed right off. If I wore shoes and socks I probably wouldn’t
have had this problem.
Maybe it was nature’s idea of a tropics hazing, because now
I’m down to a couple of bites a week with very little swelling. Or maybe there’s
something in my blood that killed them all off.
But you’re still wondering why I wear shoes and socks when I
go out in the tropics? The tropics are a beautiful place, but the words of my
old mentor will never leave me, the bit about running for your life. These
parts of the tropics have critters that hide and bite and sting the unwary. It
also has critters that carry guns, have nasty dispositions, and don’t like
getting caught with a load, be it pharmaceutical or human. I may be one of the
only guys in running shoes, but I’ll be the first guy to find cover.
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