When I was a boy, my father gave me a piece of advice that to this day I haven't forgotten. "Son," the old sage would say, "you only get one set of feet, so you better take care of them."
I think about that bit of wisdom whenever I gingerly walk on the beach, venture outside barefoot on a Sunday morning to retrieve the newspaper, or meander around a swimming pool. Each step I make is done carefully and with caution, realizing that one false move could inflict great pain.