Running Shoes

 Running shoes at Fleet Feet in Syracuse. www.syracus.com

Dick Blume / The Post-Standard

I was thinking today how marriage is like a relationship between a runner and his good trusty shoes.  The start is like any good relationship and you must go shopping.  You try out each pair of shoes you find that might be a good fit.  You even get advice from the people around.  It might be the help of a professional, and shoes often are selected for you blindly.   Through much searching and, or even being fitted by an expert company, related to e-harmony, you make a life time commitment of 500 miles with the perfect pair that opens your heart and expresses exactly who you are in wight, color, design, and company name.  But of course the feel is the most important part.  In the end, a pair of shoes that aligns a runner's  body in the correct posture while he runs is the healthiest pair of shoes for him.  Some runner's get blessed and the pair of shoes that is the best fit for them also appeals to their attraction, but others do not get so lucky.  For they are stuck with the situation where the pair of shoes that is the healthiest for them, does not appeal to their attraction.  They are stuck with a decision.   Do they chose the shoes that are the best fit, or the shoes that they are the most attractive to?  We all know that health is the best choice, and looks fad anyway.  After a life of 500 miles experiencing 5ks, marathons, rain, snow, mud puddles, trails, and/or roads the looks of the shoes are not of value, and the runner really takes delight in the way the shoes had their back and was an excellent helper on the rough journey.  This is of course if the shoes were indeed the right fit, and the correct choice was made.    The runner looks down at his pair and thanks them for their dedication, and the life shared in their relationship.