10 Things About Shoe-lessness

Once again I'm linking up with Tuesday Ten over at Mom 2 Memphis and Ruby and this week's theme is Shoes. If you know me or have been reading this blog for any length of time at all you'll know that I love shoes so I was pretty excited by the theme.  I started brainstorming "My 10 favourite pairs of shoes" "10 Pairs of shoes I wish I owned"....

My famous "red" Nine West. My friends all know them.

 The thing is, recently I've realized that thinking about shoes too much makes me dissatisfied and ungrateful.  I own quite a few pairs of shoes. Thinking about it I actually own more than 10 pairs of boots (I live in Canada so boots seem necessary until you note that at least 4 pairs can't be worn in the snow or rain!!). But it's very easy to start craving the next thing I don't have... like leopard print pumps or flats with toe caps or...you get the picture.

My fabulous Michael Kors.

I have every intention of fully enjoying the shoe related lists and hopefully lots of pretty shoe photos hopping around the other blogs linking up today but for Blog Positivity Week I'm going to use my list to be thankful I have shoes... so very many impractical pairs of shoes.

The following information largely comes from the TOMS One Day Without Shoes website. 

1. Millions of children in the world do not own a single pair of shoes... many of those live in climates that can get pretty cold.

2. Thousands of children are unable to attend school because wearing shoes is a requirement and they don't have any.

3. According to the WHO 740,000,000 people are affected by hookworm which can cause intestinal pain, weakness and cognitive impairment.

4. If you don't have shoes you don't have protection from hookworm.

5. Approximately 4,000,000 people have podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring soil-based disease.

6. I went to do more internet research on podoconiosis and hookworm and then wussed out after about 2 pictures.  I am pathetic.

7. Throughout the world there are people living in landfills and shanty "towns" who have no shoes. 30,000 people live on one landfill in the Philippines, where many are without shoes and are exposed to broken glass, syringes and debris.

8. Jiggers, burrowing fleas that cause painful infection and in just one case study 1,890,000 Kenyan children without shoes were found to be infected.

9. I firmly refused to further investigate jiggers because just word is giving me the creeps and likely to give me nightmares.

10. April 10, 2012 Is the One Day Without Shoes event.  If I'm being honest I really don't think i can handle going without shoes in our Atlantic Canadian climate on that date. My brain is already pointing out to me that it is illegal to drive without wearing shoes here, also that the floor in my office doesn't seem to get cleaned... ever. That's right, I just told you that there are millions of people living in landfill sites with no shoes and I'm concerned about the dusty floor of my office.   Thank goodness it's Blog Positivity Week so hopefully no one can call me really awful names for that!