Show Those Toes or Not

Last week my dear friend Margie treated me to a pedicure. I never wear sandals because my feet are always cold. But my toes looked so nice that I was tempted to wear them on Sunday.

(In the end, I couldn’t; so I wore salmon-colored shoes instead.) At the dermatologist’s office today, the nurse told me she liked my toe color, that it matched my hair.

In the first world, our choices concerning feet are what type of shoes to wear—flip-flops, sandals, open-toed, loafers or heels—or what shade polish to get with our pedicures.

In the developing world, there is often no shoe choice. And bare feet often mean disease, injury or insect infestation. Lack of shoes might mean a child cannot attend school.

We can help make a difference:

Thursday, October 10, is Soles4Souls Go Barefoot 4 Them day. (If, unlike me, you can go without shoes for more than a few moments without freezing, you might want to participate.) You go barefoot and tell others about the need for shoes around the world.

We could also host shoe drives for Soles4Souls. The shoes are used to set up microenterprises in countries where people need both shoes and jobs.

Of course, there are also ways you can give when you buy shoes for yourself. Through TOMS or BOBS from Skechers.

Next time we make our feet happy with a pedicure or a new pair of shoes, let’s consider those who don’t have the option and find some joy by bringing shoes to their feet as well.