Put Up Your Feet & Stay A While.

All my life I really couldn't stand the sight of feet, even my own. I was somehow disturbed by their unique shape and how the sum of all parts really didn't equate to the rest of the body they were attached to. The toes, the nails, the balls of the feet, the texture of the skin, all of it, quit a perplexing puzzle of oddity. Some people have a middle toe that extends beyond all the others, even the Big Toe. This seemed confusing to me, wondering how the natural alignment, the curve of a shoe or sandal was disrupted by this. The Big Toe in and of itself takes on so many different shapes, some quite shocking. I hated my Big toes for a long time because they reminded me of Fred Flintstone's -big, fat, plush. Yuck.

I have a particular friend who is clearly beautiful & attractive on the outside, and also glows with an equally lovely spirit within. It was years into our friendship before she confessed and finally revealed to me the Hooves (her term, not mine) she possessed. I was shocked. They really were hooves. No amount of pedicures and pampering could ever reduce the extreme harsh shape of those feet. Those were feet only her mother could have loved. How does this happen??

These are my feet. I'm not a big fan, but as time goes by, I'm not so repulsed anymore. I have come to accept them as they are. I don't usually paint the toenails unless my five-year-old daughter asks me to paint hers and we make a little game of it. She gets so excited. She has her father's toes, as I have inherited my father's toes. And when I meet any newborn, I check their cute little pinions for a clue as to who the kid will take after. My theory works 90% of the time. And I'm so happy my daughter is no exception to this rule. I actually like my sweetheart's feet, preferring his shape over mine. They seem so athletic and well proportioned.

But let's face it: due to their position and function, feet are exposed to a variety of potential infections and injuries, including athlete's foot, bunions, ingrown toenails, Morton's neuroma, plantar fasciitis, plantar warts and stress fractures. In addition, there are several genetic conditions that can affect the shape and function of the feet, including a club foot or flat feet. Not to mention their intensely offensive odor. My son has already showed signs of following in his father's footsteps in this unfortunate regard.

Despite foot taboos* and their awkward, bizarre form, and sometimes atrocious smell, feet are amazing appendages. They are so small and yet are capable of carrying so much weight. Nothing beats a foot massage. It's almost better than sex.

I hope I didn't get off on the wrong foot, this is such a silly thing to write about. Yet it's a part of my identity, body image, and given there are billions of people on this planet, I must not be alone to ponder this topic. Just a few more thoughts:

I am grateful to have these feet and not be six feet under. I may have two left feet, but at least I can dance. I'll put a sock in it now.

(A closed mouth gathers no feet, ya know.)

Your comments are most welcome...the shoe is now on the other foot.
______________________________________________________________________
Footnotes: Many societies have "foot taboos":
In countries strongly influenced by Buddhism (e.g., Thailand, Nepal), feet are the least respected parts of the body and strong taboos obstain against touching with feet, pointing with feet, or exposing the sole of the foot toward someone. In Thai custom, feet should not be in a higher position than someone's head and must never face someone or an image of the Buddha. In Nepal, sleeping on the floor with someone's feet oriented toward another sleeper is considered entirely unacceptable.

Traditional Arab culture also has the same anti-foot bias as in the Nepal or Thailand cultures.

In traditional China (10th through 20th Centuries), the practice of female foot binding stunted the growth of the feet of young girls, resulting in a very tiny, intensely painful, and aesthetically desirable (though deformed) foot- this was often nicknamed 'Pink Socking' as it left the foot bright pink.

Within several Christian denominations, foot washing is a religious ritual.