"Dude, I CAN'T BELIEVE you went into Boston shoeless. Whatever.................Listen, you could cut your foot badly and have to get a painful tetanus shot--- also, it is not warm!! Going barefoot in the summer is different than going barefoot in the chilly fall, and in Boston. You could also get hepatitis, and/or other infections." I told her that was bull. she knows that now. "People don't walk barefoot in a dirty CITY-- they do that on the plains of Africa and in the Carribean. I am going to call the school and tell them, because it is very dangerous and makes you look like a target for all the psychos running around, who probably think you are a psycho hippie."
Did she ever think you could cut your bare hand on something dirty too? I'll bet she wears gloves on her hands at all times.
haha, yeah right. the calling the school part was a joke. thank god. and the psycho hippie part was a joke aswell. but it was funny, I had to post it.
I think your mom has the wrong idea about painful tetanus shots, too. They're shots you should be getting regularly - at least once every ten years. You only need one after a significant injury if it's been more than five years since your last one, and only after a significant injury. Besides, they're not painful if your nurse is quick about it.
this is even better.. this is what my dad wrote. Dear Alexandra: I hear flip-flops are all the rage in prep schools and colleges now. All the kids used to go barefoot until a bunch of them started getting sick and some died. It seems the ground is covered with nasty stuff starting with parasites, viruses, and bacteria. They get into student blood through tiny cuts caused by random glass shards that are invisible. The microbes feed off of human spit, urine, dog shit, tobacco juice, decaying food etc. that are on the ground. Even in Africa people make sandals made out of old tires. Why don’t you do yourself a favor before it is too late and get some flip flops. Hope you are feeling better and all the best for a happy start to prep life. Love, Dad all the rage? oh my, I must get flip flops if they're the hip thing now! god my parents are too funny. my mom was telling me about how I make myself stand out if I go barefoot. even though my jeans cover my feet.
I think your mom is under the mistaken impression that standing out is a bad thing. I happen to think standing out from the norm is a good thing. We are not Borg, we are humans.
I think your mom is afraid to stand out, too. It's those that stand out who are either ostracised or revered...and you have to take a risk that the former might happen if you ever want the latter to happen.
>all the rage? oh my, I must get flip flops if they're the hip thing now! I would NOT get flip flops, even if they are the rage. Sandals made from rubber tires, flip flops and flats share the same fault. Your soles are still too close to the ground! The same contaminated ground with all the ills that your dad pointed out. I used to go barefoot all the time. Then I read about all the deaths caused by bare foot soles in contact with that same filthy ground. I then realized how the Department of Health and Motor Vehicle Departments were working to protect us by banning bare feet in stores, restaurants and while driving. I went shopping and bought myself a pair of six inch stiletto heels. Gucci, to be exact. I thought of Prada but when I saw those models in Italy falling down on the runway because they donned the Prada heels that weren't made to be worn I decided against them. Yes, it took a day or practice but now I can dance on subway gratings with ease. My soles are high above the trashed ground, I'm stylish and feel great. The only down side is deciding on L'Eggs, Sheer Energy or No Nonsense hose
The risk of long-term back problems, circulation problems, plantar warts, bunions, ingrown toenails, fallen arches, plantar fascitis, athlete's foot, atrophic calf muscles, fatigue, and other ailments is all attributed to wearing shoes. Going barefoot may expose you to other risks, but they are far less severe and far less common than the ones caused by shoes. Your dad needs to do his homework. And as for your mom, don't worry, she'll mellow out after menapause. My mom used to yell at me all the time about tetanus and stuff like that but now she's totally mellow and says nothing about my appearance anymore, she's just happy to see me.
This is typical of Mums and Dads the world over, I'm afraid. And although they may say things in a jokey way, they usually mean it. At least you guys have the guts to rightly ignore it!! I've been going barefoot for years and am still here doing it!
