 |
| my feet, slightly less dirty after the rain |
This morning I guess the thought just crossed my mind that it might be fun to go a day without footwear; see how it felt, imagine what other people with no shoes must feel, to see if people noticed and just because it was looking beautiful outside. I started out with a meeting with my manager. She didn't notice until I got up to leave, she simply laughed and told me "typical Eco House move Paul". Mildred basically set the tone for the rest of the day as people commented on my lack of footwear. "Missing something?", "Doesn't it hurt?", and "You can't be in here without shoes" are some comments that immediately spring to mind. Of course there were some points during the walk at which I stepped on a stone or sharp crack in the pavement and it was momentarily uncomfortable. However, looking back, it was totally worth it.
After dinner, around 9:35pm, I went for another walk. This time through the arboretum...it was pouring. It wasn't as easy to see the ground this time, at night in the heavy deluge. However, it was very satisfying. The rain was not terribly cold like I half expected, but refreshing in a way. It cleaned the dirt off from the day's rambling and left me feeling refreshed and cleansed, if a little damp. This last walk of the day was a rather fitting conclusion in my mind.
It might sound silly, but I feel more aware of the textures of the campus, more in tune with the feeling of the ground. When your feet have nothing to encumber them there is more to experience, more to feel and it seems like there's more to life. You become acutely aware of where you shouldn't walk because of potential harm, where the feelings are pleasant and where they are not. This was a sort of off hand decision this morning, but it really turned into an eye opening experience. Going barefoot at home might just feel like giving your feet a breath of fresh air, but going bare for an entire day really transformed my idea of campus as well as the way I relate to my feet. Walking connects us to the environment and so changing a small aspect of the walking experience changes how we feel and see our world. Bare feet did just that for me.
Sitting here at the end of the day, my feet slightly numb with the built up sensations felt throughout today, I sit contented. I highly recommend it to all of you.
I noticed you were barefoot in Drawing class. I assumed you just took off your shoes to be more comfortable. Other people had their shoes off too, but they had on socks! What an interesting idea.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle! I highly recommend doing something like this while the nice fall weather is here. Perhaps a winter exercise like this would be interesting as well, albeit slightly more painful.
ReplyDelete