Shoes are the bane of my existence.

My feet are skinny and bony, so half the shoes out there feel like they are wearing away skin and bone and I constantly battle blisters and bleeding. My ankle bones are really low, so the bit that goes around the heel on half the shoes out there jams into my ankle bones giving me a lot of pain and more blisters and bleeding. I burned my left foot to the bone a number of years ago, and the scar tissue has limited the amount of flexibility that foot has, although just in recent years that has improved a little bit. And I've got arthritis in my right foot, in the joint where the big toe attaches to the foot ... so I can't wear anything tight or inflexible across that joint.

What's left? Practically nothing. That's a large part of why I enjoy walking barefoot as often as possible.

As for the shoes ... I have to vary them. I cannot wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row.

That said, I do have a pair of hiking-style shoes which I bought back in 2009 which are actually pretty good. I've done some fairly lengthy walks and hikes in them and have been reasonably comfortable. I'd like to find another pair like that. I've been thinking ... do I pay a 3 month membership fee for the gym in the basement of my office building over winter ... or do I spend the money on a good pair of shoes and go for longer walks outside ... ??? But what are the chances I'll get lucky again and get a good pair of shoes?