THE PROOF IS IN THE FEET

Okay! Today's the day. After the first try-on I'm unsure. Wore them off and on yesterday; but today I am going to do the continuous wear. Put them on at ten. Only by a long time wear am I going to know if I really want these expensive suckers.

Five hour later -- not so much. Not so comfortable. See that redness on the big toe. See the ridge along side my left foot. Oh, I so wanted these to be the perfect shoes for me. The answer for wardrobe. 

And then there is this. THIS is not comfortable either. So what is going on here? My usual size is 6 1/2 Wide; I ordered a size 7. Now I'm wondering if an 8 might be a better size.

Now I am going to find out if the Customer Service is all it says. I don't want a refund -- yet. What I want is a pair of shoes that I can wear in any circumstance, feel comfortable, AND be fashionably acceptable. People DO notice shoes.

I went on the Tieks website and ordered an 8 and they will send a return label for the 7's. And I'll take it from there. 

Lordy Day, I hate being disappointed.

THE ARRIVAL OF HOPE

And here they are. Just look at that package. Really classy. 

And look at this. Is this adorable or what? I thought of wearing the flower on my hair but I have given myself the worst haircut ever and it looks even more ridiculous with this flower.

This is a pair of shoes? Really?

REALLY?

REALLY!! These are they.

THE PRIORITY OF FEET

These are my feet. Feet matter. They matter a lot. Especially mine. Mine are eighty years old, short, and wide. There is an outgrowth of bone or whatever on the outside of the right foot between the beginning of the arch and the beginning of the little toe. Shoes are an issue.

Since heel surgery almost three years ago, any shoe with any degree of stiffness at the back of the heel is just -- NO.  Two moves and two downsizings later, I hung onto four pair of black flattish shoes that I can't wear. I just have a hope that the 'someday' will happen. In the meantime I wear my black walking Sketchers. Not too fashionable a statement. Definitely not dressy. 

A year and a half ago I encountered Tieks on Pinterest. I read about them. I fell in love with them. The Easy Spriit/Nauralizer budget that was my norm was just NOT going to cut it. These and similar brands had been my mainstay for many years and were quite satisfactory for my short wide foot. There just weren't any styles that would accommodate the new requirements for comfort.  I abandoned any dream of having Tieks and continued with my fashionably awkward but wearable Sketchers.

Then recently Tieks popped onto my radar again. I read everything I could find. There was very little negative and a LOT of positive. After a great deal of angst, rationalization, and soul searching, I bit the bullet and ordered a pair. Matte black.

And now I wait, hoping that I haven't been had by some hyped up marketing. Hoping that I will at last have a pair of comfortable shoes that will be suitable for church, shopping, driving. Hoping this is really worth all the money. Hoping .....