#9: New Balances

I still remember my first bunion. It came after a trip to Belize, when I had taken over a month off of exercise and then jumped right into daily running and lifting. The shoes I had at the time were ill-fitting, which shaped the bones in my foot into a pointy and painful “protuberance” as Michael Scott would say. 

I tried numerous remedies for said bunion: ice, rest, open-toed shoes, breaks from running…but the pain persisted, and the bump became a boulder. Brooks were no longer cutting it as running shoes. It was time to try something New. 


So I got a pair of New Balances. I always heard that if you see something at the store that you like, don’t buy it right away: see if you can’t stop thinking about it, and then buy it. Such proved to be true with my shiny gray cushioned-soles that expanded wide enough for my blooming bunions to do their morning stretch. I thought about them for four months before finally going back and making the purchase, and it was almost as though I finally found the love I had been looking for. 


There are many things to love about New Balances: trendy colors, supportive soles, expansive mesh material that accommodates all foot shapes, and for me, the ability to run in a way I hadn’t in so long. I was used to suffering through the gym only long enough to then rip off my shoes mid-treadmill mile and walk barefoot back to my dorm. With New Balances, I could walk back with shoes on.


But the thing I love most is the way they brought some perspective into my life. Okay, it probably wasn’t as much the shoes as it was the Spirit, but around the time I acquired my midnight sky newbies, I also started to understand the idol I had made of physical fitness. The Lord in His kindness brought a healing…a new balance to my life, if you will. For so long, I had been consumed by being in shape. If I missed a workout, I’d skip a meal to make up for it. If I didn’t sweat as much as normal, I’d consider it a waste.


I don’t really think the shoes had anything to do with this slow and incremental sanctification, but the new balances stayed on my feet even when they weren’t tied all the way. I could walk around campus and experience nature, beauty, socializing, and getting steps in, but I didn’t have to suffer through a treadmill mile. I liked walking in new balances so much that I was willing to walk more. Forced to run less. Able to loosen up, literally and physically. By loosening my shoestrings, I was freer. And by God’s grace in my life, I learned to love working out simply for the bliss of moving my body. A corporal act of worship found step by slow and steady step.


My bunions lessened, certainly because of my stretchy shoes, but also because somewhere along the way, God showed me enough contentment and peace to quit striving for physical perfection. I love the idea of balance - working out some days, resting others - and it is so beautifully new to me. 


I rank New Balances 9th.

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