I've been barefoot more this summer than any summer in the past. I've gone on many walks, I've gone in STORES barefoot for the first time, and even my friends now know about my habit; they've seen it in action. However, (maybe it's just lately) I'm starting to see the annoyances of the people that DON'T like it more than the actual pleasure I get from it myself. It's like I'm starting to forget that it's awesome barefoot and I'm just on guard in case anyone says anything to burst my bubble. Does anyone else get this way?
All the time. It's YOUR pleasure versus what THEY may tolerate. BUT: If nothing is said to you, go barefoot where you can. I love going into stores barefoot, especially the bigger ones (say, the supermarket). It's the "outlaw" aspect that appeals. It's up to you to be responsible where you step. It's up to THEM to indicate if it's OK or not. The pleasure of barefooting is all YOURS. "Come on in, the bubble's fine!"
I rarely get that reaction. In fact, I've often found people to be more friendly when I'm barefoot. Just yesterday I was at the grocery and received a pleasant "Hello, how are you doing doing today?" from a clerk by the check-out. Funny, she went to the effort to speak to me in a cheery voice, but I didn't see her speak to anyone else. Most of the time people's reaction is pretty ambivalent. Since you've been barefoot this year more than ever you might just be a bit sensitive to it. I know I sometime expect a negative reaction when I go someplace. I rarely get the negative reaction I'm braced for, but the anticipation can cause a bit of anxiety. Sorry, this probably doesn't really address your concerns. I'd just recommend doing what you enjoy and wait to see if anyone really dumps on you. My suspicion is that you'll be alright!!
ur gonna get looks depending on where u live. it's their problem not yours. don't look at faces concentrate on avoiding street stuff and u will eventually hear encouragment. then look up.
That is a really eloquent way to put that feeling, i do feel that way a lot but i guess i just learned to ignore it?
Going barefoot anyway is just plain uncommon. That's why we HAVE to keep on. Believe me, I am the world's BIGGEST chicken. (Buck, buck, be-yaack!) I have learned to go barefoot. It doesn't just happen (in most cases). If it's valuable enough to you, you WILL keep on. You live your life for YOU. Who are THEM anyway? There will ALWAYS be THEM. YOUR time is limited. Fuckin' enjoy it........
I agree with you, nuspieds. Life is too short to waste it away with worries about what others think about us being barefoot. However, there is that sense of intuition that we all have about people who don't like our barefooting. They really don't matter. If we get into it with them, well, we just have to get into it. If we just think they don't like it, we can always pass them by. I must agree that I do get that intuition about people not liking my bare feet. However, I just keep on going barefoot, hoping that I'll feel it less and feel the joy of going barefoot more
Part of public barefooting for me is if people get annoyed then i really could care less, its their problem.
This is true, the anxiety can detract from the sheer pleasure of being barefoot. When I first started out last summer I found myself worrying what others might think and how they might react, so I tended to hurry about trying to avoid eye contact. This meant that I missed the whole point, that going barefoot IS awesome, so I didn't fully appreciate the feeling of different textures and surfaces under my feet - simply because I was preoccupied with what other people might be thinking. Thing is, I never really got the negative reaction I was expecting anyway! This year, I've tried to relax a bit more and to slow down just to simply ENJOY the whole barefoot experience. If I get anxious, which I still do, I just remind myself why I'm going barefoot, and concentrate more on the feeling of my bare feet on the ground, and the simple sensory pleasure of it.
That is why i have yet to go barefoot into stores. Im alittle concerned with peoples reactions. But i have no problem walking through the city and other public places barefoot, it's just stores make me feel insecure and a bit of an outcast.
Try small places, like gas stations and ATMS and Wawa/7-11. Once you discover that nobody cares, you'll be able to develop confiedence.
