My barefoot story
Current mood: Longing
I am longing for spring to come, or at least for it to be a few degrees warmer than it has been so that I can walk without shoes.
I’m going to tell you my barefoot story.
As a kid, one thing I loved most about summer was the fact that you could go barefoot. One time we went to this amusement park and at the entrance the guard says that I have to put on shoes because there could be broken glass in there. I Really didn’t want to put on shoues, but I was like 9 years old so, grownups were always right pretty much, and I put on my shoes though every fibre of my being did not want to.
Later, in my teens , I think I walked barefoot a few times, going to the store or something. But my mom always said to put on some shoes, it looks childish. Or that I could get broken glass stuck in my feet. So I guess I listened to her, about what you can and cannot do. Like this with shoes. ‘Must have shoes, you can step on/in something. The feet needs support’ And so on. But I guess what she was really saying (not consciously maybe but still..) was (and is) ‘Be like everyone else, don’t stick out from the crowd.’
About eight years ago (has it really been that long?) I met my best friend, D. When D started to take up ‘barefooting’, I guess I subconsciously judged him as childish (because of my mom’s opinions). I guess I had at that time, given up the thought of ever going barefoot, and thought him a little.. Crazy is the wrong word, odd may be the right one. And I thought that ‘One of these days I guess he’ll come to his senses and start wearing shoes again’
But.. He didn’t. He continued to walk barefoot and now he does that for the most part of the year.
It inspired me. He hasn’t died of septicemia from getting glass or something like that. And I remembered what it was like to be barefoot as a kid. So last spring/summer I think I wore shoes on two occasions (both more formal, like my niece’s christening and so on). But the rest of it, I walked barefoot everyday. And I loved it. The only regret I have is that I didn’t start sooner. Shoes feel so unnatural to walk in, I just don’t get why more people doesn’t walk barefoot more often. It’s such a pure, joyous feeling. Feeling different surfaces with the soles of your feet.
It’s kinda sexy when you Do happen to see someone walk barefoot in the summer, maybe casually dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. D and I discussed this earlier. It’s not the actual bare feet that’s sexy, but the whole concept. It’s kind of cheeky to walk barefoot, like someone who doesn’t care what people think of them. Self confidence, maybe that’s what is sexy.
I think I’ve been a ‘barefooter’ my whole life, but thanks to D, I got inspired to actually try it out. And I don’t regret it, not for a second. Because, for me, it’s not just that it’s more comfortable to walk barefoot, it’s about standing up for yourself and say ‘This is what I want to do!’
And thank you D, for giving me the courage!
//Syntium
[...] What I really meant to write in this update was a little pointer towards my very close friend Syntium’s blog. She has recently started trying out a more barefoot lifestyle herself, and from time to time she writes about her experiences. Check her own barefoot story here. [...]
Nice to read your story ^^
Yesterday it wasn’t that bad of a temperature out so when I and my hubby was on our way home from the store I carried my sandals for a little while and walked on the wet asphalt and grass. It was cool, but not really cold. The gravel they have spread out all over the place was a bit annoying though, especially when you carry 5-6 kilos of groceries. I liked putting the sandals back on the last bit though, as I had still a lot of sand and gravel on my soles. One pebble is horrible to get in your shoes, but a whole “carpet” of gravel, more or less, really feels good instead – imho.
Anyhow, hope to see you barepawed in spring or so!