I Don't Think Those Foot Gloves Are Normal

I've realized something recently that signals a sea change for me as a barefooter. You have to realize that, as much as I tout going barefooted as a great thing, I wore shoes for a LONG time before I became a barefooter. Since I decided to pursue an unshod lifestyle, going barefooted has been a treat. I've loved doing it whenever I could but it always felt different in some way. My mind and my feet had been so used to shoes for so long that the sensations and freedom of barefooting seemed abnormal, no matter how much I liked it.

Think about the concept of wearing winter gloves. We're so used to our hands being bare that covering them when it's cold out is different. We can still generally use our hands and the gloves serve a purpose, but there are many moments when we realize that our hands are gloved. Grabbing a particular object or touching a particular button on the dashboard makes us think, ever so briefly, "Hmm, gloves." Later, when we get back inside and warm up, the gloves come off.

Where bare hands are the norm for so many people, so are covered and/or shod feet. For so many of us, it is normal to put on shoes for our daily living. We might go barefooted around the house sometimes, but we generally put on shoes in the morning when we leave home and keep them on until late into the evening. Sure, there are times when we remove our shoes for specific activities. People who do yoga often go barefooted. You see few people walking around a swimming pool with shoes on -- though many wear flip flops to and from the facility. Almost no one wears footwear into the shower, especially at home. But wearing shoes is generally normal for most of us.

My perception of what's normal for my feet has shifted 180 degrees. Just as it is normal for so many to wear shoes, it is normal for me to not wear shoes. It's now different to wear shoes, like wearing gloves on my feet. The key thing is that I don't notice it anymore when I'm barefooted.

Anymore, it's all the same to me.

I get lots of reminders when I have shoes on. There are so many moments throughout the workday -- I'm required to wear shoes to work -- that I think to myself, "Hmm, shoes," because I try to flex my foot or toes and they are confined. If I must wear flip flops into a store or restaurant I am constantly reminded that my walking gait is altered.

The thing that really signaled this shift to footwear feeling odd was how I now feel wearing my Vibram FiveFinger Sprints (VFFs). Not too long ago, I was quite satisfied wearing them as an alternative to going totally unshod. I even blogged/tweeted/mentioned to others that they felt like a "second skin." One day I realized that, as much as I like VFFs compared to normal shoes, I still feel so shod with them on. They aren't second skins anymore. They've become toe shoes with an emphasis on "shoes." This is no knock on Vibram Fivefingers in the least. I still love them and they serve a wonderful purpose when necessary, but they now live in a category with winter gloves called "Different."

This shift in what's "normal" is so marked that it is no longer second nature for me to throw on shoes when leaving the house. Depending on where we're going, I may simply ask myself if I'll need any footwear more than the backup flip flops underneath the driver's seat of each of our vehicles.

Even with winter settling in I will only wear closed-toed shoes outside if it's cold enough (right now, that means less than about 28F/-2C), otherwise the flip flops will do. The bare feet can tolerate those temps for the short time going in and out of stores and other places. My philosophy: Just as my hands sometimes need warm coverings to combat the cold, so will my feet and that's okay. But if I can generally go without gloves, my feet don't need anything on them either. In fact, I'm finding as winter progresses that my bare feet are able to handle colder temperatures than my bare hands.

That can't be normal. Or can it?