flip flops

flip flops are the footwear of choice in southeast asia. bangkok might be the one exception to this, where sneakers and loafers and heels predominate. but everywhere else, rich or poor, foriegner or local, the flip flop rules.
there is something about the flip flop that i envy, that i aspire to. it oozes a casual, slow pace. they are clumsy of course, and you cannot walk fast or run. they flap against the soles of your feet and therefore they announce to the world the slow pace at which you are moving, a kind of psychological metronome. that is if you are not merely sliding your feet, shuffling across the floor. like a snare drum the wearer shuffles and flaps through their day, on and off their motorcycles, across the street, into the office. they are also continually slipped on and off, which means the wearer spends much of the time barefoot, walking across a cool tile floor, or a worn hardwood flight of stairs. they are also dirt cheap, and the owner, therefore, embodies a carelessness towards this very same essential characteristic, which of course makes it that much more atractive.
i have flat feet. and my ankles collapse inwards. so i can't wear flip flops for long. and i fear that if i walk for anything more than five or ten minutes i will get blisters. i belong to a lower class of traveller. i occasionally wear flip flops, often i wear my runners, as i am now, and sometimes i wear a heavier hiking shoe. the lowest class of man (it doesn't seem to be an issue with woman) is the one who wears the full ankle high hiking boot.
but i aspire to the flip flop. i am training, wearing them a little at a time. building callouses between my toes. i clumsily emphasize a shuffled gait whenever i can.
i'm okay with this. but i envy the natural grace of the flip flop man.