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Every April, we gather for a family reunion with my husband's siblings. It seems that no matter where we go, there's a lot of walking involved. My motto is: "Comfort is Supreme!" I don't mind giving up the latest trend if it means that I can walk all day long without hurting!

My sister-in-law, however, buys a new pair of shoes every year for the trip. Before the first day has hardly begun, her feet are killing her. She almost always ends up buying another pair of shoes to finish the day and the trip! It doesn't matter that I always tease her about it, and before the next trip, I will remind her to wear comfortable shoes. She doesn't listen. I hate to think how many pair of shoes are in her closet that have been worn only once because they hurt. What's worse, is why is she keeping them if they are not comfortable?

I can't change her, but I can be smarter than that!

I've always been a Birkenstock fan myself. I spent $100 for my first pair back around 1990. It killed me to pay that much, but a friend assured me they were worth it. Boy, was she right. I wore them for 15 years and would have kept wearing them if they hadn't finally started to wear out. I replaced them with Birkenstock's cheaper brand, but they weren't the same. I was on the lookout for a new pair of shoes and didn't know where to turn.

Then, I bought my granddaughter a pair of Crocs. The poor child has "stinky feet syndrome" and her mom thought they would be good for her. After all, the material they use is designed not to absorb foot odor.

When I gave her the shoes, she turned up her nose and said she didn't want them. Since they were my size, I took them back home with me. I walked past them for a few days and finally decided to try them on. I had to admit that they were possibly the ugliest shoes I'd ever seen, but if they were comfortable, I didn't mind looking like a clown.

I wore them at home one entire day with the price tag on them, just in case they were too obnoxious even for me. When my husband pointed out that I hadn't yet removed the tag, I asked what he thought. Most of the time I don't ask his opinion, but I was pleasantly surprised when he said he didn't think they were too bad.

It didn't take long before I was wearing them every day. They were bright, royal blue, so I found myself coordinating my wardrobe to go with the shoes. Once I started wearing them, I just didn't want to wear anything else.

When we met for our April outing last year in Mexico, I wore my Crocs. I got disgusting looks from the family, but I just smiled. When they were all looking for Band-Aids and Epsom Salts for soaking their tired feet, I was ready to go. By the end of the trip, the others were looking into buying a pair for themselves. You've gotta love it when they admit you were right -- even if they won't actually say it!

This isn't meant to be an advertisement for Crocs. It's only meant to make you think. As you're planning for your day, think about what you're going to be doing, and prepare accordingly.

I just returned from a trip to Washington, DC, where we took a tour of the Capitol. I can't tell you how many women I saw clomping through there in high heels. I can't imagine that any of them felt comfortable. And who were they trying to impress, anyway?

If you feel comfortable in 3" heels, then by all means wear them. My ballerina friend is probably more at home on her toes than in flats, but she's the exception. Most of my women friends agree with me that high heels were designed by men who would never wear them. I'd go a step further than that and say that Satan had something to do with the design!

The idea is to find, and wear, whatever makes you feel comfortable! And that goes for you men, too.