The young woman entered the office to begin the new work week, immediately drawing the attention of her co-workers to her feet. She apologized profusely for wearing sandals instead of more traditional office footwear. Though there was no apparent offense to her selected shoe apparel, she confessed pain in her lower appendages caused by dancing away a weekend evening celebration in tight-fitting shoes.
According to a 2018 study, only about 28 to 37 percent of people wear shoes of the right length and width. Another study revealed a staggering 80 percent of men are walking around in shoes of the wrong size. Why do we so easily squeeze into shoes much too small for our feet or wear ones too big that slip off? Blisters and callouses may be the least harm these shoe selections may cause, warn many podiatrists.
So, how do you select the proper-sized dancing shoes for a night on the town? Or, for that matter, the size of any shoe for everyday wear? A gentleman named Charles Brannock wanted to find a way to measure feet correctly. The Syracuse native was born into the shoe business, with his dad being a partner and founder of the Park-Brannock Shoe Company. After graduating from Syracuse University, the younger Brannock took about two years (using an Erector Set) to create a device to measure the foot. He patented the invention and built a company around it in 1927. Today, you can find this tool, the Brannock Device, in practically any retail shoe store you visit. You may be unfamiliar with the device’s name, founder, and history. However, it’s likely a shoe salesperson at some time has set your foot within its grip. The product is still manufactured in New York State and helps nearly everyone determine the proper size for our footwear.
This Sunday, August 21, Good Shepherd invites you to put on a comfortable pair of shoes, join us for worship, and tap your feet to the special spiritual songs we will feature as part of our 10:15 AM worship liturgy. You may also stroll in for our 8:00 AM half-hour outdoor worship service or our indoor 6:00 PM Responsive Prayer liturgy.
Blessings,
Pastor Marc
