Perfection.  I love these shoes.  My mother always swore by her Birkenstocks, but I always thought it was her inner hippie coming out.  As I got older and everything started to ache, including my feet, I decided it was time to give into her suggestions and try my own pair.  At first I wasn't sure, these things hurt badly after wearing, they pressed on places on my feet I'd never experienced shoes touching  After taking some time and reading several things about wearing Birkenstocks and the process of breaking them in, I did just that.  I wore them for an hour or two a day (in my home, so I could take them off if need be) for about three weeks until my feet adjusted and the shoes molded to my feet.  Now, I don't ever want to wear anything else.  My whole body feels better when I wear these, they've definitely improved my posture and I notice less aches and pains in my knees and hips while I'm wearing these shoes.