i just hate shoes, i'm NOT crazy...

last time they were honestly cold was when i walked across the wooden walkway that was iced over through the lagoon.

 

I met a girl named Trish in the Port Authority bus terminal some years ago. She was waiting for a bus to the Meadowlands where the Dead were playing. She was barefoot with filthy feet like mine. We put our soles together to compare foot size. She thought hers were wider even though she was about 10 years younger. We were the same size!

Her feet were very tough as she told me she didn't even own a pair of shoes. She worked in a small clothing store in Greenwich Village where she was allowed to work barefoot! She told me she hardly felt anything underfoot anymore as her soles were so tough.

 

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oh god, yes, I bet everyone thinks I'm nuts

 

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Don't worry so much about what people think. Look at it this way: 62,040,610 people voted for George W. Bush in 2004, and I'm pretty sure that they all wear shoes all of the time, even in bed and the shower. Are you going to let folks like that influence your behavior?

 

Not wearing shoes isn't indicative of being crazy. As I've posted elsewhere, I'm barefoot most anytime I go out, weather permitting. Sometimes I've questioned my own sanity about doing this, since bare feet aren't socially acceptable in general. Fortunately, I've found little resistance to my practice.

While I work barefoot from home, I have to wear shoes when I go to various work-related meetings, etc. Over the years I've bought shoes of all brands, styles, prices, etc. Admittedly, some are more comfortable than others, but after several hours in any shoes, my feet yearn for their release. I think this is true of most people. Typically the first thing people do when they get home is kick off their shoes. A lot of women remove their shoes at the first opportunity (behind their desk, under a conference room table, etc.) because the designs that are so popular also appear to be the most uncomfortable. Some just look painful. After getting used to being barefoot so much, even flip-flops seem restrictive. If I'm meeting friends socially, I'll put on flip-flops for the outing though - not to "cover my feet" (LOL, like flip-flops do that), but rather to avoid the embarrassment of being denied service in an establishment. I'm there to have a good time after all, and I don't want to blow it for everyone.

That said, my practice of going barefoot is all about comfort. At one time I questioned whether this was some sort of personal fetish. I mentioned this to a friend. He commented, "Well, if you don't go home and beat-off after going barefoot it's probably not a fetish"! Sort of crass, but he made a valid point,..., and no, I don't go home and beat-off after being out barefoot!

Side comment about the originator of this thread - I miss Boogabaah's frequent posting in this forum. She's the Queen of the barefoot world. She used to post several times a week but now I only see her appear in this forum once every few months. Bummer!! If you google "boogabaah" you'll find there's a whole cyber world written by and about this "barefoot, hairy, short, vegan, mama" (her self-description from her profile). At one point, she professed to not even own a pair of shoes (or socks!).

 

My shrink agrees it is a major part of my being and wouldn't attempt to "cure" me. It wouldn't work anyway. And maybe that's because I DO have a major foot fetish and love going barefoot myself anyway. In summer I show up with no shoes and now it's cold I shuck shoes and sit barefoot and crossed legged on the couch. Last week we were talking about the very uptight company I used to work for and she laughed and said they would never recognize the real me. I asked what barefoot, jeans and sweatshirt? She said yes but also the tats. So diff from button down shirts and khakis I used to wear. BTW she again said she loves the flame tats coming out on my foot tops as if coming from between my toes.

 

Don't worry about what people say about being barefoot. Personally I go barefoot all the time and I've gotten the occasional weird look, but no one ever really said anything. Don't feel ashamed hun!!!

 

I don't like stepping in diseases. I also don't want to stand out from other people as a weird person.

 

Your post says you're 18. Not wanting to be "weird" or different is pretty standard at that age. As I got older, I started to appreciate that being a bit "eccentric" was sort of a cool differentiator. Whether going barefoot is your style of being eccentric, that's a personal decision. Personally, I enjoy the comfort of not wearing shoes. That's one of my (few? several?)eccentricities. As for the occasional awkward stare, they're not that frequent, and depending on the setting can actually be a bit satisfying. I think, "Yeah, I'm barefoot and you don't approve, but you're f**kin' miserable in your hot, smelly shoes"!!

 

Well, feeling "threadened" by other members' input might also count as an eccentricity. Going barefoot is just not the U.S. "norm" (whatta country) but as nobody gets hurt is every reason to do it, especially as it's so enjoyable.

 

One is a "victim" in life usually only as long as one wants to be. It is very important to be open to feedback, to adapt and to re-engage. We remain hopeful for that.

"Problems" are rarely unilateral and should offer everyone the opportunity for some introspection. Could we all agree to move on and to stop referencing the past? There is a lot of opportunity that we all are missing.

 

Why do you have a shrink? Is it just because you don't like shoes?

 

I'm not a fan of shoes (unless it's very cold), I hope that doesn't mean I need a shrink. I might be crazy, but I'm not nuts.

 

I would feel guilty if I said I hated shoes. I would think about the shoe designers. The people who make the mock-ups (that's what Jimmy Choo did). The shoe manufacturers, the shoe box and laces manufacturers. The shoe salespersons. The shoe store owners and employees. All those who feel the halo effect from those who hate shoes. All those aforementioned have families and I would not want to be responsible for telling the children they can't have ice cream or a toy because I didn't buy a pair of shoes.

I had a psychiatrist, psychologist, hypnotist and therapist in my life. It started when I was very young. I feared the monsters that lived under my bed. Shining a flashlight under the bed, poking under it with a broom, etc. allowed me to sleep for an hour, then I would stay up all night. Nothing helped. I failed in school, lost several jobs all due to lack of sleep and inattention.

I had to dismiss my therapist because I couldn't afford him. A great guy, he tried his best. I ran into him 6 months later and he told me he never saw me happier. I wore a smile, seemed rested and had a good job. I told him I was finally cured. No more monsters. He asked for the name of my new therapist. I told him it wasn't a therapist who cured me, it was a carpenter. Puzzled, he asked what the carpenter told me. I said "It wasn't what he told me, it's what he did." Therapist asked what he did. I said "He cut the legs off my bed."

 

Barefoot guy....you just put a major smile on my face.....thanks

 

Hey Boogs, I am just curious here. Is someone making you go to the Psychiatrist because you don't want to wear shoes, or are you actually going to the psychiatrist for something else?

 

something else.. and my new therapist says theres nothing wrong with it.

 

Thanks for that. It proves that they were right and I am rehabilitated. You see, one day I was visiting a friend in the hospital. I noticed that one wing had doors with locks on both sides. I asked the Director how they decide who stays behind those doors. She opened a door to a room which had a bathtub filled with water. Beside the tub was a bucket, cup and spoon. She said they simply ask the person how he/she would empty the tub. I replied that the sane person would use the bucket because it was much larger than the cup and spoon. She replied that the sane person would pull up the stopper. She then asked if I'd like the bed by the door or the window. I can't tell you which I chose because it would violate medical privacy laws

The above is intended as humor and by no means any insult or degradation to anyone, especially Booga.