"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall." ~Nadine Stair
This quote really struck a chord in me this evening. When I was a child growing up in such a small town as Coeur d' Alene Idaho was, going barefoot was totally "the thing" for summer. After reading this, I was struck with memories of the pain our tender feet would endure for weeks to build up the calluses necessary to run around barefoot all summer. I clearly remember how cold the ground was when we first started. Some dared as early as May. The gravel on our street were very painful-we had no pavement yet and in the summer the oil that was added to keep the dust down added a new sensation and made for some very dirty feet! I can remember the very pleasant feel of the new Spring grass and the cool puddles that followed the rain. One of my favorite sensations was the feel of the trails in the woods. Cool, soft and slightly moist earth that felt like heaven! It cooled our hot feet in the dead of summer. Once I stepped on a pinecone running from my friend Janie's house to my own. That was incredibly painful... My mom was pulling slivers out of my foot for an hour or so!
I am reminded today of a very large sensory organ that is often taken for granted-skin. Our feet provide such a perfect means by which to explore the world. I knew this as a child and have forgotten it. Somewhere in the means by which we are socialized it was lost. I was taught to "protect" my feet and the feet of my children with shoes. Or, be careful, you might pick up some disease if you go barefoot. Or, be careful, you might look poor/trashy. Somehow I forgot that be it pleasure or pain, feet help us to remember that we are alive. Going barefoot was a celebration of Spring and Summer and a right of passage of sorts. It opened us up to the outdoors and allowed us to commune with the earth once again. For me, it reminds me of the things in this world that shall always remain solidly beneath me and with me no matter whatever else might change. Excuse me while I take off my shoes...