Day 92- One, two, buckle my shoe. My healthy shoe.

You remember that bit that Eddie Murphy did in his first movie, Delirious? About his mother throwing her shoe at him and his brothers for disciplinary purposes? 

I won't post the video here, because it's chock full o' swears, but look it up---it's funny. 

I don't throw my shoes, nor anything else, at my kids, but I do think about shoes. A lot. 

See, summer isn't endless, and I can't wear my monkey toe shoes and sandals all year long here in the Pacific Northwest. I've got to think about covering up my tootsies while still remaining in alignment and not torturing my feet. 

Yes, there are always Earth shoes. I've got several pair and love them, but they aren't always the look I'm going for. 
                           
And there are some seriously cute ballet flats out there, as long as your toes can move, for Pete's sake. 

                                       
I'm a casual girl. Hopelessly casual, in fact. For me, dressing up is like rubbing sandpaper across my buttocks. I'm no Fancy Nancy. 

So while I've got my Earth shoes for "dressing up", I want shoes for casual Friday. And Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. 

On Sunday, I have to look fairly respectable since I teach Sunday school at our synagogue. That's when the Earth shoes will come out.

But for every other day---it's going to be: 

And:

and even:

                                                

I know, right?

I'm sure the sphincters of every fashion-minded person reading this are sucked up tighter than Tutankhamun's skin, but I can't help it. I've been wearing comfortable shoes for most of my life, and now that I know so much more about wellness and alignment and how badly we're messing ourselves up with our shoes and daily habits, well...I don't just want comfortable shoes any longer. 

I want comfortable AND healthy. 

When I was a teenage skate punk, I lusted after low-top Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars, but falsely believed that because I had "high-arches", I needed shoes with arch support. So I never had a pair. 

Sniff. 

Last year, I threw caution to the wind and got some, and ended up loving loving loving them. 

I'll probably buck up and buy a pair of comfy ballet flats, as well. You know, in case I get invited to the Oscars. 

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful, 
Dani

Day 39- Walk Like an Egyptian

" Everything is within walking distance if you have the time."
—Stephen Wright (1955—)

Today, we're heading into to the big city to see the Tutankhamun exhibit. I'm super excited! When I was 8, my parents traveled all the way from podunk Lewistown, Montana, to see the exhibit in Seattle when it came through the first time. We kids had to stay at home, but I poured over the booklets and pamphlets they brought back, determining that being an Egyptologist was the coolest gig ever. 

I didn't go that way, as you know, which probably helped me avoid all sorts of curses and flesh-eating scarabs. 

Whew. 

Last night, in my SuperGeek fashion, I was doing a little pre-exhibit research in some library books, and I learned that the young Tut had images of his enemies and captives inscribed into his leather sandals, so that he could squash his foes with every step. 

That's a little unhealthy, I guess. HOWEVER, I was looking at his sandals, and that is some REALLY healthy footwear! Check it out: flat bottoms, neutral heel, wiggle room for toes to move, bend, be fully functional, and straps to hold the suckers on so his toes didn't have to grip with each step. 

Way to go, my man! 

I mean, my boy king!

However, it's likely he spent a lot of time on his tuchus, being carried in a litter or perched on his throne, handing down edicts and popping dates into his royal pie-hole.

But...

how did we get places way back in ancient Egypt, if we were not royalty and carried in a litter? Scooter? Bike? Drive the ancient Prius to Giza?

Um, no. We walked. Yeah, yeah, maybe we camel-hopped if we could, but walking was the primary source of locomotion for human beings. In fact, it's built right in! You can go anywhere, walking. 

Think about how much you walk now, compared to how much your past-life Egyptian counterpart walked. Think about how much Laura Ingalls Wilder walked with how much you walk. Think about how much Abraham Lincoln walked. Think about...okay, it's even annoying me, but we truly are giving up the way we were designed to move around the earth. 

Forsaking it, if you will. 

Eeesh!

Today, you do not need to carve those whom you wish to smite into your shoes. However, a good walk will clear your mind, open your lungs, help your skeleton jiggle into alignment, and improve your overall well-being. You can either wander, or you can use your tool to go from one place to another. 

Just walk just like an Egyptian.

(Walk!), 

(Dani)