Does the topic of you being barefoot ever come up on Social Media? Not a specialized group like this one but the Social Media where people post pictures of their lunch. A giant fish they caught. Or engaging tales about an 11 year old poodle with cataracts. I was wondering because there are several pictures of me on Social Media where I am barefoot. Nobody has noticed, and every one of my friends on SM are people I actually know. You’d think one of those clowns would razz me with “Dude, where are your shoes?” A couple of times I thought about posting my thoughts on living barefoot. But I thought better of it for two reasons: 1.) I don’t want to answer the same stupid questions we all know by heart. 2.) It sounds cringe. Some of those friends may think I am a quirky barefoot weirdo (which I am). Or a foot fetish freak, which I am not.
Dunno if this is revelant...relevant, but.... I saw a TV commercial yesterday for a lawn care product that asserted it will make your grass luxuriant "for bare feet or bare paws" (showing a dog rolling over), so going barefoot on grass seems to be desirable. Who knows?
I love my barefoot lifestyle I have been going barefoot for 34 years now and I know how it goes when people ask you that one question and I just tell them I don’t wear socks or shoes ever. And I do love walking barefoot in the grass I cut my lawn barefoot. And I do know how you feel about friends thinking that you are weirdo . But my really close friends know that I’m a full time barefooter and it’s a big part of my lifestyle and they except me being barefoot and going barefoot everywhere.
Once I became a Florida resident I learned rather quickly that going barefoot in the grass can be challenging. Damn fire ants are brutal.
I was thinking about all the people with shoe dependency in Florida and where I really notice it is at the popular fishing spots on the sea walls, its like wtf socks and shoes laced up tight, really ! Whats wrong with these people outside a nice day socks and shoes laced up tight. I just searched fishing on seawall to see if its just my area. I think its fun being an activist so I post about it and just tell it like it is - you people suffer shoe dependency! And don't even know it because you have had shoe dependency so long you really believe you need shoes because your feet are to fragile to go 50 feet from your house without them. Told the story many times here with me it all started with reading an article about barefoot running like 15 years ago and as a little challenge to myself I said lets see if I can toughen up me feet and I put a little effort into it not putting them on when i felt the need to and taking longer and longer walks from the house. From there I progressed to just keeping them in the car so I have them if really needed out in the world and to break the habit of putting them on in the morning or before going out and to not need to look for them before going out. Because at some point I noticed that if i never put them on in the morning I didn't have to take them off and feel barefoot like that feeling of missing something. So anyway when I explain it to new friends or who ever I say barefooting is a sport overcoming the need for shoes I call it suffering from shoe dependency and I guess the most important part that I did not even know myself is that once you do overcome self inflicted shoe dependency or at least when I did after I overcame shoe dependency I absolutely hated having shoes and socks suffocating my feet and not being able to feel the ground. It is difficult to explain but I try and pointing out that when I am barefoot it feels all natural like not wearing gloves all the time. Difficult to explain but I don't feel barefoot the same as people with shoe dependency who 100% aware they are barefoot. Let me try and practice “Dude, where are your shoes?” Its like a sport going barefoot I overcame shoe dependency just to see if I could after reading that you could now I really prefer not to wear them cause don't need them anymore they are an annoyance uncomfortable unnecessary. You only need shoes because you have self inflicted shoe dependency, I don't anymore. I try and shorten it up. Barefooting is a sport and anyone can overcome shoe dependency. Its not the same for us regular bare footers we don't feel all awkward out in the world without shoes on. Most articles online promoting barefoot just say it great take your shoes off ! No in the very beginning going barefoot sucks your feet feel all fragile but put just a little effort give it a few weeks then its great.
You are right about give it a few weeks and see how awesome it is to go barefoot everywhere. I always hated wearing socks and shoes for me being barefoot feels natural and I love going barefoot everywhere and in public. When I go fishing I’m barefoot and I love it I don’t see anybody fishing barefoot but me. But when I was a teenager me and my friends would go fishing barefoot and camping and hunting barefoot. I really love my barefoot lifestyle I just wish people would just give it a try for a few weeks and see what they are missing out on.
