Painful knees and comfort shoes

Years of pounding on the studio floor doing aerobics and dance have taken its toll on my poor knees which had been screaming pain for months now.

I resisted comfort shoes for years because I always saw them as orthopaedic shoes - clunky ugly footwear in basic browns, blacks, whites and beiges for the crippled. (And I am not ready to concede defeat yet!) But I finally decided I have to stop wearing sexy strappy high-heeled sandals unnecessarily, and go for something sensible when there is no need for heels. Before my knees give out on me completely out of protest.

But comfort shoes that look half way decent are really and truly difficult to find. I got really upset and annoyed at myself for making the poor staff working the shoe department at Taka bring out just about the entire inventory.

By the 10th pair that I rejected after trying, I started to think they must think me a bored bitch! By the 15th pair, I was convinced they must think me a sadistic bored bitch! I kept apologising, I kept telling myself the next pair would be IT. But no, the hunt went on.

I finally managed to find a pair of lace-ups and a pair of ballet flats that I actually really liked. Phew! I would hate to have left the store with nothing! After all their effort, and all my time!

I could not thank the staff enough for their patience with me and helping me with my selection.

I know it is their job, but it is really a physically demanding job - having to retrieve shoes from storeroom, having to squat down to place the shoes at your feet, having to bend to pick up the shoes, then packing the rejects and starting over with the next pairs. Having to do this over and over umpteen times in the course of their work day.

And I wonder how long before the nature of their work take its toll on their knees...