Went to the seaside for the first time in ages the other day. One thing I noticed was the number of people going barefoot around the town. For some reason everyone's happy to go barefoot into shops, cafes, on the streets, everywhere, when there's a beach nearby. I suppose people feel they fit in better there. But really going barefoot there from the point of view of your feet is no different from going barefoot around any other town.
Totally Agree Sax, It's amazing really but it illustrates just how powerful the effects of peer pressure are. It is, without doubt, the single biggest reason that more people do not allow themselves the simple pleasure of going barefoot, especially in the Summertime. I've had this discussion with several friends & acquaintences when they have asked me why I don't wear shoes. I explain that I simply feel more comfortable barefoot and try to relate it back to simple experiences that they will have had. e.g. Coming in from a hard day's work the first thing you do is kick off your shoes. Why ? Because it is more comfortable. Well I prefer to feel that way all the time. Logical, n'est pas ? The conlusion that they frequently come to after a bit of (hopefully) thought provoking discussion is that it is not so surprising that a few of us choose to go barefoot but it is more surprising that more people don't. The most common reason why they say they don't / wont / "couldn't" is the dreaded "what would other people say / think ?" For heavens sake. WHO CARES ??? As long as you are happy, comfortable and hurting nobody then everybody else can take a crash course in minding their own business and deal with it. Rick
I visited Venice Beach in CA a few times. I was surprised by the few people I saw barefoot on the 'boardwalk' area. I did see a few with dirty feet but they were in the minority. Even in the pedestrian mall area in Santa Monica only a couple of barefooters during the evening. Even the same for Ft. Lauderdale, FL during spring break time. Nearly all wearing sandals or flip-flops.
