Do you think of them?

Do you notice them as much as I do, I wonder? Maybe you can go a day or two, maybe even a week without giving them a single thought. Maybe you can go to the mall, a nice hike, or even jump out of bed in the morning without a single solitary thought for them.
I can't.
These last four years I have taken great notice of my feet for one single and irritating reason.

They hurt.

A lot.

Every day, with precise regularity, even if the pain itself is not consistent. Imagine if you can, a constant prickling, like fire, on the bottom of your feet, from toe to heel. Also the occasional sharp prick rising from under the toenail and shooting along some imagined path up the foot. More recently there is a new and almost debilitating pain, more like having walked along a sharp bitter trail of rocks for some time only to discover the soles of your bare feet covered in bruises, only there are no markings to showcase the pain. This is my lot. There is a name to this ailment and of course there are Dr.'s who prescribe medicines and uncomfortable side effects to accompany them. There is no cure, and for me, no apparent source or reason for it.

I think of them every single day, before I ever leave my bed, get up from a chair, put on a shoe, a shock, a slipper, walk outside or navigate a toy strewn floor. I think of them.

I don't write this for pities sake, just so that someone reading this might earn a bit of gratitude in their hearts.
Remember when you get your next pedicure, or slip your toes into some outrageous heals. Remember when your feet hit the floor in the morning, or chase your child at the park. Be grateful, so grateful for what you bear and for what you don't.