MICKI BARE Advertisement

They are the shoe revolution of the decade -- the wide, rubbery, well-ventilated kicks that are flying off shelves. I lived through both the clog and jelly shoe eras, so I wasn't all that surprised when a new must-have shoe hit the stores. I actually bought mine several years ago, before they became super popular.

At first, I only wore them when I was showering at the gym. I honestly thought that was their purpose. But I soon learned of the versatility of the shoes -- and the public acceptance of them as a fashion trend. So, instead of storing them in my gym bag, I began leaving them at the foot of my bed. Each morning, I'd slip into them instead of my old slippers.

No longer did I injure my foot on an awkwardly positioned rock or pointy gumball, from our gum trees, while retrieving the morning paper. My "shower shoes" offered lots more protection then my flimsy old slippers on the walk to the end of the driveway.

Then there was the morning that I forgot to change into my sneakers before heading out on an errand run. I could have driven back home after dropping off the boys at school, but with gas prices being so high, that wasn't the most efficient move. So I wore my wide, ventilated, hose-them-off-when-they-get-dirty shoes to the post office and grocery store.

No one shook his head or turned up his nose at my extra casual footwear. No one looked away or whispered under his or her breath. No one really noticed me at all. I did notice, however, that I wasn't the only one out and about with feet adorned in rubbery attire.

After a while, my self-conscience attitude about footwear began to dwindle. People were wearing the shoes everywhere. Their versatility stretched beyond public showers, slippers and errands. They seemed to be great for family picnics, beach outings, visits to the pool and sitting on the sidelines cheering on the kids playing baseball, football or basketball.

However, wisdom emerges from experience. And with all the experience I've had wearing my popular shoes, I found that it's best to be diligent when walking through clover to the stands overlooking the baseball diamond. It is possible for a yellow jacket to fly into one of the holes and sting your foot. Admittedly, the probability of getting stung is much higher when wearing flip-flops. However, it is best to be careful just the same.

If you are wearing your comfy shoes and something made of glass crashes to the floor and breaks into a million pieces, it is best to carefully check the shoes to be sure none of the shards flew through the holes. I did not check. I didn't realize I had glass in my shoe until pain shot up through the soles of my foot and up my leg while walking with my son through the mall.

Realizing glass was piercing my foot, I limped over to a bench and removed my shoe. Then I removed the small pieces of glass from the bottom of my foot. I told my son that we should rest on the bench a few minutes so that blood could return to my head -- I've been known to pass out after puncture situations in the past.

Confident that all the glass was removed from both shoes, blood flow had sufficiently returned to my brain, and my son knew the location of my cell phone should he have to dial 911, we continued shopping. While the shoes weren't the best to have on when the glass shattered, they were quite comfy after the fact considering the small puncture wounds on the bottom of my foot.

While these popular shoes are great for everyday use, and can be worn in a wide-variety of settings thanks to general public approval despite their lack of beauty and inability to match most fashions, there are a few places where we should still opt for something a little less comfortable and a little more formal.

I've actually heard that some folks show up to job interviews in the rubbery footwear. I used to conduct a lot of interviews when I was a supervisor. I can honestly say that wearing these particular shoes would not win the interviewee a call back. Other situations not suitable for this footwear trend, in my humble opinion, include proms, weddings, funerals and White House dinners.

Then again, if my kids wanted me to wear my casual, trendy shoes to their future weddings, I probably wouldn't argue. I'm pretty sure my pair will last that long. And, they will certainly make an otherwise stressful day quite comfy -- as long as no one breaks any glass.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.