How to care for feet, prevent blisters and what to do with the extra, pairless half of lost socks

Do walking shoes and socks matter? How do blisters have anything to do with a book?

Good shoes are important to enjoy long walks in the countryside. 

My favorite walking route is a five-mile-round-trip south of Solomon, in Dickinson County, Kansas. I cross the bridge where tributary Solomon River joins Smoky Hill River.

As I walk, I try to let go of concerns I dream-up, like: aging may cause me to develop knee pain and what if I become unable to walk? I contemplate future events, like: I may move away from this area someday.

All this thinking spoke: I want to remember this beautiful farm/river landscape! So, I brought my camera along one day to shoot some photos. Inspiration comes naturally in God’s creation while I’m soaking-in my environment, imagining and praying.

As an artist in need of a creative outlet, I became curious about experimenting in publishing. I authored words to go with the images I shot and designed an inspirational/spiritual, art/photography book for adults, similar in format to children’s books. It’s a quick, easy-read about my stomping grounds and the Word of God.

Read more about 5 Miles Round Trip for Exercise and Inspiration pdf Ebook Edition at my gallery. I published my 6x9" trade-size paperback book via print-on-demand (POD) at Blurb, Inc. who handles the sale of it through online booksellers. You may find the Print Edition at Amazon or by searching ISBN 9781320458795. Consider giving the book as a gift. You may scroll over to the right column on this blog to find a preview of the entire book which can be viewed full-screen.

Why are two feet of the same person slightly different sizes? 

Our Creator designed humans with internal asymmetry. By paying careful attention, we notice that our external features are asymmetric as well. For example, the left side of our face is not an exact mirror reflection of the right side. The sizes of the left and right feet are often slightly different.

I don’t go to the trouble of ordering custom-made shoes; so I buy hiking/walking shoes to fit my bigger foot. The smaller foot heel slips and rubs against the inside, causing the heel area of the shoe to wear out. The rubbing forms a blister on my heel—ouch! If I buy to fit the smaller foot best, the larger feels squished, cramped and tires-out easily.

Listen to advice about what to do and what not to do on important matters of life; also the trivial matters such as when one foot is a little bigger than the other.

I visited a shoe store, looking for stick-in-back-of-heel-cushions. The manager knew what I was asking for, but he told me, “that’s not the best way to resolve the problem because it causes the foot to push forward and can actually cause more rubbing on the heel; depending on the type of shoe, a professional repair can be done; it works best on shoes that have a removable insole”. Well, I didn’t have my shoes along to discuss it any further. My impatience lead me to Target where I found the heel-pads. I bought them despite what he said. When I gave them a try, I didn’t like the way they felt. I should have listened to the shoe salesman.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
Proverbs 12:15 ESV

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Proverbs 19:20 ESV

Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. James 5:7 ESV

I bought this pair of shoes while Stan was going through daily radiation treatments for six weeks. During that time, one day a week he was receiving chemotherapy for several hours. Upon completion, six weeks later, he spent 10 days in the hospital for his esophageal cancer surgery. There are times in life that things are new and go well, but the worn shoes represent that physical bodies wear out in this world. Memory foam insoles are a comfy feature of these Skechers®, but their lightweight foam outsoles didn’t hold up well over many miles of pavement and the cracks that offer flexibility catch pebbles and nature debris. Shoes in use won’t last forever and aren’t designed to perform on all terrains. After this pair, my mission became “find the perfect shoe and keep walking” or better yet: “The Perfect Christ has found me! I thank and praise Him that He keeps walking with me and He carries me when I am weak.”

There’s a tough carbon rubber outsole in these Eddie Bauer® shoes, but size issues caused friction and a big blister on my heel. What appears to be wonderful on the outside…

…may hurt on the inside. My foot rubbed the upper back lining until it wore a hole through the fabric. What do I do when people rub me the wrong way? …

…try to do everything that can be done to fix things (pray that God’s will be done) and with the help of the Holy Spirit, forgive others as I have been forgiven. I cut a piece of 2-inch bias tape and used Krylon® spray adhesive to apply it as a patch to smooth out the hole in the shoe heel lining.

Remember to hold spray adhesive upside down while spraying for 4 seconds to clean the nozzle after using it. Read number 18 [below] for the moral here :-)

My favorite shoes for hot weather and perfect fit—these Ecco® sandals have adjustable Velcro® straps across the ball, ankle and heel. Open toe and flexible heel strap eliminates pressure in those areas. They aren’t the sexiest footwear on the market, but, oh… my feet love them! I used these shoes for long walks while my bandaged blister was healing.

Trying again for tough-sole and perfect-fit sneakers, I found

ECCO Women's Biom Train Core Training Shoes.
 One of them is too big for one of my feet. I conclude…

The best solution for miss-matched feet size is to double-up on one foot by using pairless socks.

 

On top of a normal pair of socks, I use an extra sock on the small foot to prevent my heel from rubbing a hole in the shoe and a blister on my foot. This is an excellent use for extra miss-matched pairless socks. I look at the three socks in similarity to the Holy Trinity: Father/Son/Holy Spirit by Grace/Faith/Word—even though I don’t deserve it, they’ve got me covered.

Water blister on heel—to pop or not to pop? 

My unbroken blister was the diameter of a quarter coin puffed up about 1/8th inch. I Googled what to do for blisters and skimmed all kinds of advice including to leave them alone (don’t pop them) and also that it’s okay to do so if it’s a big blister. I didn’t weigh it out extensively. For lack of patience, I let my instincts trump. After washing well with soap and water, I sterilized a needle, poked a few holes on one edge, gently squeezed it and watched the fluid squirt into a Kleenex®. I smothered it in Neosporin®, left it open when barefoot around home, covered it when out-and-about in the elements, and the blister was completely healed in about a week. Later, when I got another blister, I used the same method the second time, it became infected and took longer to heal.

So, the moral of the story is:

1. Ask for help.
2. Listen to advice.
3. Accept instruction.
4. Wait patiently for the Lord.
5. Take proper action—persevere.
6. You screw up—just admit it.
7. When big pride puffs you up, clean up your act and pop your bubble.
8. Learn by experience.
9. Strive to avoid making the same mistake twice.
10. Use God’s gifts of creativity and wisdom to try to fix things.
11. Realize those in darkness hide from the Light and resist wisdom that can be found in the Word. 
12. Pray.
13. Remember baptism: Christ has already done it for you.
14. Look to Jesus when you’re rubbed the wrong way and experience friction.
15. Cover your pain in the comfort of prayer.
16. Reach for the healing balm of Holy Scripture.
17. Healing comes in God’s time, through hearing His Word (in church).
18. Bend over backwards, keep your head clear and nozzle clean in order to be prepared for and prevent sticky situations.
19. Trust God in the race of life—the prize He already has won is for all people.
20. Believe the mystery—the power of His promises/invitation/forgiveness—as you receive Him in the Lord’s Supper.
21. Live a thankful life.

Word from the Greatest Book Ever Inspired:

The Whole Armor of God  >  Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:10–20 ESV

Final Greetings  >  Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. Ephesians 6:23-24 ESV

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