New life for the humble Shoe Horn

I don't usually have much use for that rather quaint little tool known as a shoe horn. However, the other day I was preaching at a church in London. A good friend was picking me up on his motorbike and brought along all the necessary gear – including a helmet. Unfortunately, I have been blessed with a rather ample set of ears. And so it was, early one Sunday morning, I found myself trying to squeeze my head and it's accompanying appendages into a rather snug helmet. Let me assure you, undertaking a 45 minute journey on the back of a bike with one's ears folded in half is not to be recommended.

When I thought about this I came upon the solution – a shoe horn. Yes, the humble shoe horn could be used to keep one's ears flat and allow the helmet to be slid on neatly and thus avoid the unpleasant problem of ear folding. Although admittedly whizzing about on a super-bike with a shoe horn stuck in your belt doesn't seem to fit with the biker image, it does make for more comfortable riding!