How often does anyone see anyone ELSE going barefoot??? Why has this wonderful activity disappeared???
It hasn't disappeared yet — entirely. Every now and then you will bump into another BFer. You see more BFers in beach towns, on college campuses, in coffee houses, and the like. In many areas, Spring and Fall are the seasons for BFing. In winter with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures; and in summer with frying-pan-hot pavement, there is less enthusiasm for BFing. One thing that I do year-round is drive my car barefoot. Clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals are totally meant for BFing!
It's SO uncommon. Yes, I do see a very occasional BF'er, but it's usually ME. I have met a few others in my home state (not city, unfortunately), so the "good habit" is definitely out there. How do we popularize it??? This is prime barefoot weather---how do we deter flip-flops??
Yeah man, I still do. I work in construction and the first thing I do after my shift is to get barefoot. I'm barefoot until I have to return to work. They call me the barefoot giant. (I'm very tall, and have big feet). For those times when I can't be barefoot I wear a pair of "soleless moccasins" that I've had for years. After buying them a few years ago I wore them out and there are no soles on them. They cover the tops of my feet, but my soles are bare. They are perfect for those establishments that have the "No Shoes, No Service" cards on their doors. Nobody knows that your soles are really bare, unless they are really looking at your feet, then they might see a part of your foot or toes. They keep my feet tough, and soles dirty, and more importantly my feet the way they should be, bare!
I have to say barefooting is amazing any time of year. Yeah, those frying-pan streets take their toll, but they're pretty neat anyway. Going barefoot at the other temperature extreme is somehow more tolerable---down to 10 degrees or so---and splashing through snow puddles---and mud banks under snow---is too awesome for words.
I gave up socks a year ago, and I'm trying to eliminate shoes, too. Damn employment anyway!
Check out this web site:
www.barefooters.org/
Carry flip-flops with you in case you run into "NS3" (no shirt, no shoes, no service) situations.
Otherwise, BF to your heart's content!
It gets harder to BF on cement or asphalt when the ambient air temperature gets to 80F degrees and higher. It still is possible, though. The trick is to walk on packed earth (unpaved surface) or grass (like at a park). If you have to walk on a paved surface, walk on a light-colored surface rather than a dark-colored surface. Walking on white painted lines on pavement, for example, is cooler to the BF than walking on the paved surface itself. Walking in the shade on a paved surface is better than walking on a sunny, uncovered and unshaded paved surface. And so it goes. You will develop your own hot weather survival techniques as you go along. // I have BFed down to about the low 20F degree range. // If you have a desk-type job, you might try Birkenstock sandals. At your desk, you can just kick them off. I don't think most employers would frown if you walk in the door each day being sockless but still "shod" in Birkenstocks.
Very true. We were all meant to "wear" the "shoes" we were born with, i.e., our bare feet!
Unfortunately as the pendulum swings from conservative to liberal and back problematic things like barefootin are always affected. In the early 70's in California just about everyone went barefoot everywhere and businesses, etc. weren't all that uptight about it. But as the conservatives took over and attitudes changed barefeet got caught up like everything else. Now its either a socio-economic status issue about barefeet or its some kind of fetish to be frowned upon. So let the ignorants continue to deform and disfigure their feet in bad fitting footwear so the rest of us enlightened ones can walk around barefoot and feel special about it.
