The Joys of Barefooting!

My new obsession requires the purchase of.. NOTHING!  I have been walking around barefoot as much of the time as I can.  I go shopping barefoot, walking to the mailbox barefoot, driving barefoot, and of course I'm always barefoot inside the house.  I've caught a few odd looks, but no one has complained, even though I also go barefoot at church.  I think I really love my ward though.  They seem to accept me in all my weirdness, and it's a wonderful thing that I know not everyone can find.

(these are not my feet. my feet are less hairy.)

Why barefoot? 

1. It's healthier!  I feel my tendons and muscles stretching and strengthening, and the soles of my feet toughening up enough to handle whatever the outside throws at me.  My lower back has loosened up considerably, just because I've been walking differently.  I expect my knees are also being given a break as my feet are no longer a source of heavy impact and shock on my joints.  I just feel better. There are numerous benefits outlined in the linked article above, and I encourage any readers to look into barefooting to help heal things like joint problems, or plantar fasciitis. It's also almost impossible to develop any kind of fungal infection or athlete's foot when your foot is not enclosed in a sweaty, germy shoe.
2. I get to connect with the Earth every day.  In my pagan paths, I'm very connected with Nature, and the spirit of Earth.  I constantly try to find more ways to feel connected to the rhythms of seasons and cycles of this wondrous place in which we live, and walking barefoot is an easy way to absorb some of that special energy that can't be replicated by humans.

3. It's cheap! I have always, always hated buying shoes.  It's so hard to find shoes that are comfortable, affordable, and attractive.  My criteria for comfortable are many: they cannot slip off my heels, my toes have to have room to wiggle and move about, they can't dig into my heels or any part of my foot, there can't be support in the wrong places (sadly, I often find myself shifting my foot around even in my Vibram FiveFingers because the left one doesn't fit quite right), and the list goes on.  It's also nigh on impossible for me to walk in high heels, and they hurt my joints (not a shocking fact).  Barefoot goes with almost everything!  While I don't see myself running about barefoot in the snow (at least not for long periods of time), pretty much every other situation is barefoot-able.  I'm working on some barefoot sandals that look something like this, so I'll have something nice to wear for church.  I may make a few more pairs because they won't annoy me and I can make them exactly to my own specifications.  Also, some people in our culture do freak out at barefoot people, and the barefoot sandals can somewhat hide the fact that I'm barefoot.

4. I want to.  I've always loved being barefoot, and it's a badge of pride for me to be just a little bit different than the status quo.  I was born that way.  So there you go.