I can't say I miss the shoe scene. Shoes I liked tended not to fit well and caused blisters.

In my teen years I worked in a hospital giving EKGs to patients and I was struck by how many women's feet were deformed--probably from wearing shoes that pinched their feet. Often when I was tempted to get stylish shoes, I thought about those women and how I didn't want my toes to be all bunched over one another.

Since MS came along, I've stuck with only lightweight shoes. For many years my shoe wardrobe consisted of one pair of Keds (for outdoors) and a pair of slippers with flexible soles for indoor wear.

Diabetes came along, followed by a podiatrist. I was having back pain problems. They were mostly solved when I followed the podiatrist's advice and stopped wearing the Keds and the slippers and switched to "diabetic shoes" that give more support, especially for the arches.

The catch here is that it's hard to find these shoes in a lightweight type but I insist. If a shoe weighs more than 7 or 8 oz., I won't consider it.

I don't wear shoes out fast--one good thing about limited mobility. I now have 3 pairs of diabetic shoes, with "custom orthotics" (= pricey insoles) that I rotate. I've had two of those pairs of shoes for years, though the third pair is almost new. None of these shoes shows any signs of wear in the heel or sole.