I learned something recently that surprised me. All right, I will go ahead and admit that I was shocked. I found out that I have been tying my shoelaces wrong all these years. I have had a problem with the laces coming undone frequently. I had attributed this to the quality of the laces, the material used and so on. Until now. The other day I was frustrated enough to look up the issue and potential solutions online.
I did not realize that this is quite a thing. Apparently it is a widespread problem that dogs many people and that is because they are all tying their laces wrong. Undoubtedly, Professor Shoelace (no, I am not making that up) is the absolute expert on shoelaces and he has much to say on the matter here. You will learn all you ever wanted to know about shoelaces and all you never wanted to. For instance, you may realize that you are making a granny knot (which is what I have been doing) instead of a balanced knot. Even sailors could learn a thing or two about various types of knots from him. Anyway, it was quite humbling to find out that I had been wrong all this time.
I did not start wearing shoes until I had to in college. All through school, my feet enjoyed the ventilation afforded by sandals and slippers, which at the same time protected the feet from the hot ground in summer. Being made of plastic or rubber, they allowed us to wade through puddles when it rained without their getting ruined. We used to play wearing them, but if that was inconvenient, we went barefoot. I remember the reddish sand in the playground used to coat our feet whenever we played cricket. Whether our feet were covered or not, no laces were obviously needed to secure shoes to them.
That freedom ended when I started my engineering studies. We needed to wear shoes for the workshop class where they were a safety requirement. What a pain that was. If you never wore shoes and suddenly started wearing them, your feet rebel. Adding to that, we had to spend the day standing and working. The first few days, my feet hurt like the devil. People who start wearing shoes at a tender age have feet that have adapted to fit the narrow confines of shoes and even look as though the shoes are simply designed around them. My feet had been allowed to grow as they pleased and confining them to shoes took some breaking in. Instead of breaking in a pair of new shoes, I ended up breaking my feet in.
As for the laces, no one taught me how to tie them. I figured it out pretty quickly. After all, by that point in my life, I had learned a useful skill or two. I got used to shoes too in a few weeks, but even now I take my time buying a new pair making absolutely sure that they are comfortable. I have to be able to curl my toes while wearing them and they should be wide enough to keep my feet from being squished. I am often told that I take too long to select a pair of shoes. Perhaps that is true, but I can definitely say that it is worth spending some time on it.
Talking of knots, I have to mention the necktie. This is surely a tyrannical imposition on the working man. The tie is probably the only piece of male attire that is more about looks than comfort. Men are usually quite willing to sacrifice fashion for practicality, but somehow the necktie survives. Not only is it a painful thing to wear, it also requires mastering the knot. There seem to be a million ways to knot the tie. The type of knot has to match the tie. Whether the tie is broad or narrow, made of silk or wool, etc. etc. - all these are apparently important factors in choosing the knot. Someone has even written a book about the whole thing. Me, I learnt just one knot (the 'four-in-hand', I believe it's called) and decided that that would serve. And it has (well, maybe with mixed results).
Unlike the shoelaces, the tie is quite visible and thus it is important to learn how to make the perfect knot (well, at least a decent looking one). The process appears deceptively simple but it takes quite a bit of practice to get it right. Till you get the hang of it, the knot may be too small or too big. Or the inner end sticks out below the outer. Sometimes, instead of looking like a well-crafted samosa, it looks like a random piece of clay. The most annoying thing was that often the shirt collars were not sized properly making it difficult to achieve that well-groomed look. As we are usually rushed in the morning getting ready - I am sure Jeeves would have disapproved if this - it was quite common to have the tie pre-knotted and ready to wear like a necklace day after day.
For a brief time in my career, I had to wear a tie to work. I am sure the tie adds to the overall appearance in a positive way. It may even provide some protection from the cold in temperate and colder countries. But in tropical Mumbai, it was sheer torture to wear a tie. If you want to teach yourself forbearance, don a tie (with shirt and pants of course!), and take a ride in a taxi (make sure it is not air-conditioned) in Mumbai in late May just before the monsoon breaks. The air is still. The temperature is usually around 37 degrees Celsius or more. The humidity is well north of 90%. In fact, it is so humid that you can cut the moisture in the air with your hand. Your whole body is covered with perspiration. Under these conditions, whenever the taxi stops for a signal, the least exertion will cause you to sweat even more. You may feel like cursing the tie and ripping it off, but you should desist. Stay absolutely still. In fact, you should even stop thinking if you do not wish to aggravate the situation. The smallest activity, even thinking, will make it worse. If this experience does not teach you patience, I do not know what will.
Pragmatism has asserted itself over the years and we no longer have such strict dress codes for work. 'Business Casual' is the requirement in most establishments. Shoes are still a must but we have plenty of comfortable options in shoes. In fact, I would say that a shoe that fits well is a joy to wear. We just have to make sure that the laces are tied properly.
I did not realize that this is quite a thing. Apparently it is a widespread problem that dogs many people and that is because they are all tying their laces wrong. Undoubtedly, Professor Shoelace (no, I am not making that up) is the absolute expert on shoelaces and he has much to say on the matter here. You will learn all you ever wanted to know about shoelaces and all you never wanted to. For instance, you may realize that you are making a granny knot (which is what I have been doing) instead of a balanced knot. Even sailors could learn a thing or two about various types of knots from him. Anyway, it was quite humbling to find out that I had been wrong all this time.
I did not start wearing shoes until I had to in college. All through school, my feet enjoyed the ventilation afforded by sandals and slippers, which at the same time protected the feet from the hot ground in summer. Being made of plastic or rubber, they allowed us to wade through puddles when it rained without their getting ruined. We used to play wearing them, but if that was inconvenient, we went barefoot. I remember the reddish sand in the playground used to coat our feet whenever we played cricket. Whether our feet were covered or not, no laces were obviously needed to secure shoes to them.
That freedom ended when I started my engineering studies. We needed to wear shoes for the workshop class where they were a safety requirement. What a pain that was. If you never wore shoes and suddenly started wearing them, your feet rebel. Adding to that, we had to spend the day standing and working. The first few days, my feet hurt like the devil. People who start wearing shoes at a tender age have feet that have adapted to fit the narrow confines of shoes and even look as though the shoes are simply designed around them. My feet had been allowed to grow as they pleased and confining them to shoes took some breaking in. Instead of breaking in a pair of new shoes, I ended up breaking my feet in.
As for the laces, no one taught me how to tie them. I figured it out pretty quickly. After all, by that point in my life, I had learned a useful skill or two. I got used to shoes too in a few weeks, but even now I take my time buying a new pair making absolutely sure that they are comfortable. I have to be able to curl my toes while wearing them and they should be wide enough to keep my feet from being squished. I am often told that I take too long to select a pair of shoes. Perhaps that is true, but I can definitely say that it is worth spending some time on it.
Talking of knots, I have to mention the necktie. This is surely a tyrannical imposition on the working man. The tie is probably the only piece of male attire that is more about looks than comfort. Men are usually quite willing to sacrifice fashion for practicality, but somehow the necktie survives. Not only is it a painful thing to wear, it also requires mastering the knot. There seem to be a million ways to knot the tie. The type of knot has to match the tie. Whether the tie is broad or narrow, made of silk or wool, etc. etc. - all these are apparently important factors in choosing the knot. Someone has even written a book about the whole thing. Me, I learnt just one knot (the 'four-in-hand', I believe it's called) and decided that that would serve. And it has (well, maybe with mixed results).
Unlike the shoelaces, the tie is quite visible and thus it is important to learn how to make the perfect knot (well, at least a decent looking one). The process appears deceptively simple but it takes quite a bit of practice to get it right. Till you get the hang of it, the knot may be too small or too big. Or the inner end sticks out below the outer. Sometimes, instead of looking like a well-crafted samosa, it looks like a random piece of clay. The most annoying thing was that often the shirt collars were not sized properly making it difficult to achieve that well-groomed look. As we are usually rushed in the morning getting ready - I am sure Jeeves would have disapproved if this - it was quite common to have the tie pre-knotted and ready to wear like a necklace day after day.
For a brief time in my career, I had to wear a tie to work. I am sure the tie adds to the overall appearance in a positive way. It may even provide some protection from the cold in temperate and colder countries. But in tropical Mumbai, it was sheer torture to wear a tie. If you want to teach yourself forbearance, don a tie (with shirt and pants of course!), and take a ride in a taxi (make sure it is not air-conditioned) in Mumbai in late May just before the monsoon breaks. The air is still. The temperature is usually around 37 degrees Celsius or more. The humidity is well north of 90%. In fact, it is so humid that you can cut the moisture in the air with your hand. Your whole body is covered with perspiration. Under these conditions, whenever the taxi stops for a signal, the least exertion will cause you to sweat even more. You may feel like cursing the tie and ripping it off, but you should desist. Stay absolutely still. In fact, you should even stop thinking if you do not wish to aggravate the situation. The smallest activity, even thinking, will make it worse. If this experience does not teach you patience, I do not know what will.
Pragmatism has asserted itself over the years and we no longer have such strict dress codes for work. 'Business Casual' is the requirement in most establishments. Shoes are still a must but we have plenty of comfortable options in shoes. In fact, I would say that a shoe that fits well is a joy to wear. We just have to make sure that the laces are tied properly.
