After having gone barefoot for a full two days last week while my wife, Glenda, was in the hospital for testing (read:
Part I: Unshod in the E.R.), I was looking forward to a four-day barefoot weekend of helping her out and celebrating Labor Day festivities. I would end up going totally barefoot everywhere for almost a whole week.
Friday, Day 3On Friday, I stayed home from work to help her run some errands and lighten the load that two daughters under three years old bring with them. I shared with Glenda that I wanted to
keep going barefoot all weekend, so we'd have to be careful about some of the places we went. She was supportive and understanding.
You see, of all the grocery stores in our city of 121,000 residents, I know of only ONE that has no signage prohibiting bare feet or requiring shoes. One. It has also been my own personal policy for a while that I will not go barefoot into a business that has a clearly posted policy against it. So that meant that we needed to shop at that one grocery store if I was going to keep my barefoot streak going. Glenda was graciously open to this idea, even if it wasn't the closest grocer or the one at which she usually shops.
Have I mentioned how awesome my wife is?
First, however, we were hungry. We stopped at a Subway sandwich shop before getting groceries. Again, this choice was made based on their reputation for being generally barefoot friendly. We ate there with no problems and no comments from employees or customers -- though I'm not sure any of them even realized I was barefoot.
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Not me, but notice how you must
look closely to realize this person
is barefoot. Photo by Flickr user
colorblindPICASO |
It should be noted that on this day I tried to keep my bare feet as incognito as possible. It's widely known throughout barefooting circles that wearing pants or jeans makes it a lot easier to bare your soles in public. People just tend to notice your lack of footwear a lot less this way (see photo at left). Something about shorts accentuates the fact that there's no break in skin between your ankle and the floor, thereby showing off your lack of shoes for all to clearly see.
One of the neat things about going barefoot in a grocery store is the varying floor temperatures. Even if you were blind, going without shoes would signal to you how close you're getting to the refrigerated goods. The floor gets progressively cooler the more proximal you are to these products. In fact, the lower floor temperatures extend out a lot
farther from the refrigerated goods section than you might think! I felt the lower temps several aisles away.
Now, I know what you might be thinking: "Oh, I could never do that! I
hate it when my feet are cold!" You have to understand that we barefooters welcome all kinds of varying sensations under our soles. It makes us feel alive! And what's more, it keeps the world that much more interesting and multi-dimensional! Before I started going without shoes on a regular basis, I probably would have said my feet were too sensitive to go barefoot. As I then became reacquainted with the sensations from my feet, they evolved from being uncomfortable and unmanageable to something that's actually quite desirable! That's not to say that cold floors don't feel cold anymore. It simply means that the varying temperatures are no big deal. This also applies to various textures and objects on the ground.
Nobody said anything about my bare feet in the grocery store, but I did get some looks. I noticed several customers glance down and see my lack of footwear. At one point -- in the section of frozen food cases -- a couple of employees walked by and I'm sure they saw me barefoot. Even so, they said nothing.
That evening, having now gone a full three days without shoes, we decided to head up to our city's Labor Day weekend festival on the town square. The festival draws hundreds of thousands of people. The square ends up being PACKED to the gills with craft tents, merchants, food vendors, a carnival and multiple performance stages. While we didn't do much more than eat some of the good food, I attended barefoot
for my second year in a row. It was fun and I loved letting my feet be free, feeling the warm ground beneath me and not having to deal with sweaty feet from being stuffed in shoes.
Saturday, Day 4The next morning, I passed my previous 86-hour record for consecutive barefooting. It was a neat accomplishment, but I still had so much more to go! Three days, actually, because I didn't need to put shoes back on until I went to work Tuesday morning. The barefooting adventures continued.
On Saturday we went to my niece's birthday party at my brothers' house and later took another trip up to the festival. Total barefoot time, 4 days (96 hours) and counting.
Sunday, Day 5On Sunday morning I continued my regular practice of
attending church services barefoot. Later that day we went to a picnic at one of our church members' homes. Their property is a beautiful place set on several acres that include a large pond and an orchard of apples and plums.
I was able to take part in one of my favorite barefoot activities: playing in the grass! Someone brought a high-quality Nerf football to the picnic, so several of us participated in throwing it around in an open field next to the orchard.
I cannot understate how much I LOVE running around barefoot in grass. Heck, that's partially why this blog is called "Barefoot and Grounded" and my
Twitter page's background is of a green lawn. The grass sweeping across my soles, the varying textures of the ground and the minute temperature changes in light and shadow all combine for a viscerally enjoyable experience. Such a great time. 120 hours complete with bare feet.
Monday, Day 6Monday was the last full day of my barefoot streak. Glenda's sister invited her over to show her some sewing tips, so my wife went there and took the kids with her. I decided to invite my dad up to the festival for a turkey leg. Yes, that meant that I headed up to the square THREE times that weekend, but it was all good. The ground was
very warm -- a fun contrast from the cold grocery store floor three days prior -- and the turkey legs were awesome! I actually parked at his place, which isn't far from the festival, and we walked up and back. I spent some time chatting with him in his apartment before leaving for home. I can't help but wonder what his fellow building residents thought as they saw me walk in and out without shoes.
It should be noted that the
only time I ever saw or was concerned about broken glass or any other danger that weekend was on the walk up to the square with Dad. Almost simultaneously, he and I saw a broken beer bottle off to the side of the path on which we were walking. He pointed it out, I saw it, and I stepped around it without incident. We walked home a slightly different way just because of where we ended up after eating and walking around.
Tuesday, 6 1/2 Days: Back to ShoesOn Tuesday morning I dreaded putting shoes back on, even though I had to in order to go to work. I had spent more than 158 consecutive hours barefoot. I went almost an entire week without shoes and it was WONDERFUL! I came away with no infections, no cuts and only a small "hot spot" on my sole from walking on the hot pavement on my outing with Dad. No big deal. It was worth it. Going barefoot is
totally worth it.
Thanks for reading! Any thoughts on my barefoot weekend? What's the longest you've gone completely without shoes? Where have you gone barefoot where others thought you shouldn't? Where would you like to go barefoot but haven't built up the courage yet? Please leave your comments in the section below.
I've written in this space previously that on natural ground coverings (grass, flowers, etc.), I prefer to only go barefooted. It's a matter of respect for the earth, but I also see it as a respect for God's creation. Likewise, I have come to believe that I can be more connected to the earth and nature by touching it directly. Because God created all living things, this is also a way to further connect with Him.
While that's supposed to be a lighthearted criticism of barefooting, I don't believe it's well thought out. You have to remember the times in which Jesus lived. There weren't a lot of grassy lawns in the places He traveled. The roads were very rocky and dirty. Modern sewer systems consisted of trenches along the side of the roadways. People didn't bathe or shower daily like we usually do. It was VERY filthy. That's part of the reason that the story of Jesus washing His disciples' feet was so significant. Their feet were filthy. The fact that He was willing to humble himself in order to make their feet clean meant a lot. The times we live in, in comparison, are much cleaner and more sanitary.
How I worship and am blessed by God is about the spirit with which I come to the Lord instead of the clothing on my body. He will accept, bless and forgive me no matter what. God doesn't care what I wear to church, and He especially doesn't care if I wear shoes. That is why I can't be judgmental of someone who comes in tattered clothing and a less than fresh smell. They are there because their heart has brought them there and God will bless them for that.
Photo courtesy: Barefoot Rick Roeber 
Overall, and despite the personal setback, I had a great time! It was nice to meet some other local runners and especially to finally meet Rick. We'd conversed some back and forth on Facebook but hadn't met in person until the run. He's a great guy and very devoted to the Lord. I look forward to conversing and running more with him in the future.
