I really hate wearing shoes. I hate socks too, and hate having anything on my feet for too long. When I come home at the end of the day, the first thing I usually do is shed my shoes and socks and let my feet breath. I’ve been this way for most of my life, but went to the extreme while going to school in Hawaii. There was a rule in the dress code at our university that we had to have footwear on in class, and for that I was able to result to rubber Brazilian flip flops.
We were supposed to wear these at work as well, but more often then not I would end up going barefoot. I was a tour guide at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and most of the other employees that worked in the village exhibits were able to go barefoot, so I thought it would be more uniform if I abandoned that part of my uniform and left my feet totally uncovered. I ended up developing some pretty thick callouses on the bottom of my feet that were thick enough to stomp out burning coconut husks.
That was a long time ago, and those callouses are gone. I’ve left the warmth and comfort of Hawaii and moved to the extreme climates of Utah. I wear more sweaters than t-shirts and haven’t had a pair of shorts on in years, but I’m still living the dream with my feet. I almost miss the feeling of burning embers.
So now, years later, I still can’t stand wearing shoes. It’s almost like I can’t breathe with them on. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but as soon as those shoes and socks are off, I feel like a whole new day has begun, even in the middle of the night. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I really want to get a new pair of sandals. I would wear them year-round, but unfortunately they don’t sell them in my part of the country in the winter. The glory and convenience of the internet now make that obsolete, and I can start browsing for the right pair as soon as possible.
I have to buy some new shoes for my children tomorrow, so while I’m out I’ll see what is available locally and then compare them to what I can find on the internet. I’m willing to bet that I can find a better deal online.