Someone recently made the comment that they never see my children in shoes and I started thinking about this. Both kids would go to “school” shoe-less, especially when The Fisherman would take them (this happened when they were much younger. Not so much anymore). Why put shoes on them when they are just going to take them off? One less thing to remember.
I took them to the child care at the gym the other day shoe-less. Countless times of heading down the drive way asking SC if she remembered to get her shoes. Apparently she thinks she can just go anywhere barefoot. SC didn’t even own a pair of shoes until she was 1 and we flew to Texas in the winter. She needed shoes AND socks. Socks? What the heck were socks? They were a complete novelty to her. Still are. She likes to put them on and slide around the house. Someone once gave her a sock-puppet craft thingy and she just put the socks on her feet.
I used to be a total shoe whore. Today, I own one pair of heels, if you even want to call them that. At our recent at Easter party, The Fisherman snapped this shot of me, with no shoes:
Where in the hell were my shoes? I am in such the habit of taking my shoes off at whatever door of the house I might be entering, it just got to be a pain in the ass taking shoes off…putting them on…taking them off…putting them on. I was in and out of the house so much that day. It was just best to leave them off.
There are incredible benefits to being barefoot; baring your soles if you will; for both children and adults. Remember the old white ankle supporters children of the fifties used to wear? How in the heck could they get a grip (literally) on the ground with no flexibility in the soles of their shoes? Children’s feet need to FEEL the ground. They need to learn to use their toes for balance and griping. Those soft sole leather shoes that have been so trendy for the past few years actually make sense!
Imagine your bare feet in the sand at the beach.
Are you smiling? Probably – because you know it feels good. The soles of our feet have a ton of nerve endings. Walking on a natural surface makes all those nerves happy! No sand where you live? Walking on the grass has the same effect. Give it a try.
Your feet will thank you.
I am still not over my shoe obsession. I dream of the day when I can wear boots and other funky foot fashions. But for now, I’ll keep burying my barefeet in the sand.
Some of my favorite Barefeet:
- Paddle boarding in Frederiksted. Fun. Challenging. Relaxing.
- Chilling in St. Thomas for the fiherman’s birthday. Taking in the scenery.
- SJ’s newborn baby feet.
- The Fisherman’s bare feet because he left his shoes on a dock in St. Maarten.
- St. Maarten.
- The Buccaneer.
- The Ranch.
- Barefoot & Pregnant.
- Tamarind Beach.
- Watching SC do what she does best. Play on the beach.
- Patriotic barefeet. Memories of being with family.
