Shoes Make the Difference ... Sometimes

In the winter of 2004-2005, I only left the house a half dozen times, and that was for doctor visits, a CT scan, and an MRI. I lived in my nightgown and housecoat and spent most of my time in my bedroom. That was the year I was lambasted with vertigo.
That first day I thought I was having a stroke. My GP assured me I was not having a stroke and smirked at me. Until he took my blood pressure and found it had soared through the roof. That took the smirk off his face.
In the winter of 2005-2006, I made a point of getting dressed every day, whether I was going anywhere or not (mostly I was not). I wore a skirt and sweater, and heels. And earrings. Always earrings.
It helped my morale that winter. Hearing the definite sharp click of my heels on the kitchen and dining room floors, made me feel more ... definite .... more sharp.
I looked like a person who ... was a person. Just like a normal person. The fact that I wasn't a normal person just made this all the more important.
I even fought with the bedhair. That was a fairly constant battle. Because, though I was dressed from first thing in the morning, I still spent a few hours in bed, sleeping every day. Other than that I looked like I was ready for the office. Or the store. Or... someplace besides my bedroom, really.
That winter, I eventually was able to drive again. Just around my little town, that was a big enough task for me. It would drain my battery every time I'd go out. But I did go out, to the grocery store, drove my daughter to work. Small stuff, short trips. No-brainers. I had advanced that far in a year.
I got a pair of dress boots with 3" heels for Christmas in 2005. I have worn them exactly five times in three and a half years.
The next winter, 2006 - 2007, I had a bad right knee and a bad left foot, and walked with a limp. I did not wear my dress shoes or boots once that winter. Not even once.
Since then I have been experiencing wide waves of dizziness and am reluctant to fall off of the height of my footwear.
But occasionally I look at my shoes and boots in my closet, where they sit patiently waiting for me, and I remind myself, one day I will wear them again. They are cooling their heels (couldn't help the pun) for now. But our time will come.

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