I got this quote from my friend, and fellow Parkinson’s blogger, Dr. Maria de Leon, who writes about the importance of shoes in the life of a Parkinson’s Diva.  In fact, the logo on her website is a pair of red high heel pumps.  Many of us love our shoes, and hang on to those beloved pairs even though they are collecting dust in our closets.  You know the ones.  The sparkly high heels that you wore to your daughter’s wedding.  Those amazing strappy sandals, with the skinny 4-inch spiked heels that looked so great with your favorite dress. And those Manolos, Jimmy Choos, Pradas or Christian Louboutins

that we spent a fortune on but can no longer walk in.  They sure made us look fabulous!  We just kicked them off under the table at dinner to get some relief and put them back on when we had to get up.

But the reality is that Parkinson’s and age have made those shoes more difficult to walk in.  So the time has finally come to part with those shoes.  And finally recognize the fact that we do have to make some changes in our lives because we just are not 25 anymore.  So the shoes are going to a resale shop, to be replaced by stylish 2-inch heels that don’t help make me look taller, but at least I can walk in them, safely and comfortably.

Remember the stores that sold Orthopedic shoes?  All those ugly black lace-up shoes that our great-grandmothers wore.  They don’t exist anymore, thankfully.  They have been replaced by stores selling “comfort shoes” and some of them actually look good.  Because styles have changed so much, it is rare that we need to wear “dressy” shoes anyway.  A cute pair of ballet flats will go with just about anything.

So I bid a tearful goodbye to those shoes I can no longer wear and look forward to shopping for some fabulous, comfortable new shoes.  After all, a girl must look great in her shoes, no matter what height the heels are!