How many of you didn't know barefooting would become "addictive" ?

My story real short.

I read a popup article on barefoot running

Gave me the idea to see if I could make my feet "tougher"

Stuck with it long enough to over come that beginning awkwardness of going without shoes, took like a week.

Week 2 and 3 Got good at going barefoot meaning it just felt natural, I no longer felt like I was missing something if I did not have shoes on.

And here is the part I call addictive, It became a real bummer when I did have to wear shoes.

Seemed like a good idea build up my feet with some training, go for daily hikes and walks barefoot but no one ever warned me that after I got the natural ability to go barefoot back from years in shoes I would not like wearing the shoes anymore.

I guess alot of people just always did not like shoes starting as kids but thats what happened with me.

 

Since I can remember I love to go barefoot. So I wasn't surprised by being addicted to go barefoot, but I understand it very well. Not only the feet get used to being free very quickly, but also the mind. Once you get used to living barefoot, you never want to wear shoes again.

 

It was quite gradual in my case. As a little kid, I've actually hated being barefoot. My foot shyness was so intense I'd actively avoid ever having to show my feet to anybody, so I told my parents to never buy me sandals. In school we had to take off our outdoor shoes and put on school slippers, yet I also felt a bit uncomfortable revealing my socked feet, even for a split second as I changed my shoes. If you told me back then that I would absolutely enjoy walking barefoot as often as possible, I would surely have called you crazy!

At the age of around 10 or 11, I noticed I kinda enjoyed seeing other kids, especially boys, wear their sandals or walk barefoot. I thought they were goofy, but deep down I somewhat envied them. By that time, my parents noticed that I wanted to wear socks and sneakers even during hot summers, so I was forced to wear sandals more often. Once we went on a vacation to my grandparents' place in the countryside and I got to roam the woods and fields wearing only my slide sandals. Curiosity drove me to slip those slides off and walk about barefoot when I was alone, and it felt much better than I expected - it also made me feel a bit naughty as well!

Around the time I started high school, walking barefoot became less of a guilty pleasure and more of a full-blown obsession. The rest is history. Since then I've completely phased out closed-toe shoes, so now all footwear I own are sandals. I can't recall any time I've worn any other kind of shoe since I left my parents' house when I was 18. My feet don't feel quite right putting those sandals back on after only a few hours of barefooting, so how could I wear heavy, bulky shoes that I probably can't even fit in anymore?

I guess that I'm living proof that a childhood hater of all things related to bare feet can grow up to become a true barefoot fanatic! Now I'm trying to make the next step and transition to a completely barefoot lifestyle, though I'll admit cold winter weather still gives me pause. I guess it will be at least a few more months before I can finally leave my sandals to the spiders so they can make some cobwebs inside of them!

 

"transition to a completely barefoot lifestyle"

I made a habit keeping shoes in the car not in the house. That put an end to the should I get them an bring them question before leaving someplace and broke the habit of putting them on in the morning.

 

Yea, my foot shyness was so bad I couldn't even show my feet in socks. Crazy, just crazy. Never knew I would make the transition.