I started (again) this weekend!

I used to know the joy of running around barefoot a lot when I was a youngster, but "grew up" and have had my feet encased in shoes most of the time since...except when in my house. (To my credit, I think, I am usually in sandals, as I don't really like having them totally caged in...)

As part of an ever unfurling transition that I'm going through right now, I took my first conscious barefoot steps in this new world... I went out to visit my magical Godmother in the deeps of the Southern California desert and really wanted to connect consciously to the Great Mother, so I walked around barefoot, inside and out, for almost the entire trip.

First I ventured outside into her "yard", then later walked down her dirt road about a quarter mile... the hardest part was navigating around all of the big fire ants running around! (That took serious focus!) More walking around her property... and then today we took a drive further into the desert and hiked a short way into the brush to find some shade in which to sit for a spell... I wore my tennis shoes in, but as I was sitting there, I realized how disconnected I was feeling... so I took off my shoes, and voila! Connection! I hiked back out without my shoes on -- HOT HOT HOT!!! My feet got scorched and I had to stop a couple of times, fling down my shoes and hop onto them for a few seconds, but I was determined... I made it all the way back out! It was a great initiation paid for by my tender city-girl feet.

It's such a simple thing... and I loved it!
It's amazing how many buttons are being pushed... all my training on being a good, polite, productive citizen with soft, clean, pedicured, respectable feet... It's a different person who goes everywhere without shoes! ... but I think this has been a good start, and I'm excited to start toughening up my soles, and soften up my soul in the process!

So how did *you* give up the shoe?