Stopped into a shop in Winchester Va a little while back. A shop I had been meaning to stop into for many years. I drive by it all the time, but never when they are open. As I've said in prior blog entries, I'm not a big fan of big mercantile outfits, but I have a deep and abiding soft spot for the independent shopkeep.
Whilst perusing the purveyor's paraphernalia, I saw that really silly foot gear (shoes) that are being hyped all over the place. The Vibram Five Fingers. A shoe, that has independent toes. I laughed when I saw'em on the shelf. The good shop keep asked if I wanted to try to fit a pair. What the heck? I stopped laughing the moment I stood up in them. Holy cow! They WORK!
It's just like having the feet you had after a long barefoot summer when you were 10. I love'em!Sure. Not exactly work shoes, even on casual friday, they might not be really appropriate for office wear. And I don't think they'll work real well for my trike ride into work (where I really need to be clipped in), but outside of these things, and deep snow, I think this is pretty much it. I have my balance back, My feet feel better, blah blah blah. The benefits of these things might be overstated in the hype press, but it all makes sense to me. Went for a short hike last week up through the sloppy forests of Blackwater Falls State Park, and, well, gosh.
The 'instructions' caution one to break them in. however, it's not them that needs to be broken in, it's one's feet that need to gently get used to actually being used in the manner in which they are meant to be used. Yer foot gets to learn how to act like a foot again. Pretty cool, and feels great. Made in China? Yeah, pretty much all footwear is these days. Which is wrong headed I think. Made of 'appropriate technology materials?' No. don't think so. Work really well? Yeah, so far, so good.
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