Enjoy going barefoot

Barefoot all his life

2009-11-24T23:58:00.004-06:00

can you imagine never having to wear shoes all your life? you go to school, work, and go about your daily activities in bare feet without anybody giving a fuss about it. sounds like barefoot paradise? it sure does. too bad not all of us can be there. wonder where this place is? read my latest guestbook entry below:

Being born and bred in Nth Queensland has enabled me to live my whole life being barefoot. For 43 years I've never had the need for any footwear!

Went to Primary School in barefoot, High School barefoot and University barefoot. No looks of disgust or signs prohibiting barefeet. It's part of life here. Probably about 70% of our towns population are barefoot constantly with the other 30% only during the wet season.

Visitors to the town were here early this year and I heard them comment on the amount of barefooters. They were shocked when I told them that I've never had to wear shoes - not even to work! So long as you are aware of your surroundings and what you're doing, foot injuries become non-existant!

Anyway, to those who want to see another barefoot paradise, come to Nth Queensland - especially the smaller country towns!

Barefoot teachers

2009-01-05T15:27:00.003-06:00

Following is another interesting entry from my guestbook:

"I'm a 28-year-old high school English teacher and all my students know me as "Ms. Feet" because I'm always barefoot in the classroom and most of the time around the campus. I haven't worn shoes to a video store in years and I also frequent the grocery store, the Subway sandwiches, Baskin-Robbins, the mall, the miniature golfing place, and Cal State Long Beach (where I'm attending night classes as well) in my most barest of feet. I've also gotten away with walking around Disneyland barefoot, but 9 times out of 10, they'll ask me to put my flip-flops on before I get on the rides. But I love being barefoot and hope you do,too! Yay for summer!"

wow, how cool is that! a while ago i had a brief email correspondence with another female barefoot teacher whom i met at one of the barefoot forums. she would take her shoes off at school and leave them under her desk, and sometimes would carry them in her hand as she walked around. the principal would scold her whenever he saw her walking around in bare feet, and tell her to put her shoes on. but often times she would just giggle and run towards the stairway until he couldn't see her anymore :)

i also had a barefoot professor in college. he was a guy in his 40's. he would wear shoes without socks and take them off in class, and walk around the class and in the hallway barefoot.

have you ever had a barefoot teacher? or maybe you are one yourself? please post a comment and share your experience.

Barefoot in Germany

2008-04-06T02:27:00.003-05:00

a barefooter from germany wrote the following in my guestbook:

I'm a barefooter from germany and try to live without shoes at least half of the year. Usually I start in april and walk on bare soles till end of september. At work I have to wear shoes, but flip flops are ok. The rest of the time I'm barefoot without any break in this six months. I prefer to go barefoot in the city and love to harden my soles by walking on rough surfaces like asphalt or gravel. The dirtier a street, the better for walking barefoot. So usually my soles are grey and sometimes black. I enjoy very much to be barefoot in public, particularly when all the other people are wearing shoes. It's great to show them my bare, dirty feet.

pretty cool huh? again it shows that there are people who love going barefoot in many different countries.

are you from germany? is it common to see barefooters there? please share your experiences going barefoot even if you're not from germany :)

Going barefoot outdoors

2006-10-04T09:50:00.000-05:00

the following is a post from someone in the UK...

"I didn't know that so many people went bare foot outdoors (except at the beach). Now I've dicovered all these like minded people, I want to try it in public for the first time. How do I start without too much pain? I want black soles what surfaces are best? Please relpy and help me."

that's interesting. i thought in the UK quite a few people went barefoot in public, at least that's what i heard from a few members of the SBL (society for barefoot living), and they don't usually encounter much opposition like we do in the US. but it could be regional too. i mean there could be more barefooters in certain areas of the country. can some of you from the uk comment on this?

anyway, getting back to his questions... how do you start without too much pain? well, i would suggest starting out slow, like maybe you can walk barefoot in your front or back yard where there's grass so it's soft on your soles. besides, walking barefoot on grass is one of the most wonderful sensations :) then you can probably walk barefoot on smooth surfaces outdoors, and avoid gravels and stuff like that until your soles get tougher.

walking around barefoot inside the grocery store is really nice 'cos it's cool and the floor is smooth and oh yeah... your soles get really black too since most grocery stores have dirty floors, he he! walking barefoot in the parking lot or parking garage can also get your feet really dirty.

you can also check out my website about going barefoot (the first one under "Links" on this blog) if you haven't done so already. i have quite a few suggestions on going barefoot in public there, especially for beginners.

if you have more suggestions to add, feel free to add a comment.

good luck, have fun, feet bare! :)

More barefoot characters

2006-09-29T15:25:00.000-05:00

i just remember another character that was originally barefoot but has been presented shod in modern times and that is none other than peter pan. i just love the latest peter pan movie where he, tinkerbell, wendy and some of the other kids were all barefoot. that's the way it should be! so, maybe you can be peter pan or tinkerbell and go barefoot this halloween.

Barefoot Halloween

2006-09-17T15:11:00.001-05:00

believe it or not, it's almost that time of the year again. halloween is actually a great time to be barefoot without experiencing too much opposition from others since you can dress as a barefoot character and everyone will think that's the way you're supposed to be :)

so, who are some of the barefoot characters? Tom Sawyer and his buddy Huck Finn, as well as the Incredible Hulk come to mind. can you name some others. oh yeah, Tarzan of course. how can i forget about him! :) one time i went to a halloween party dressed as Tom Sawyer and i had a ball! it was at a restaurant that normally would require shoes, but since it was halloween and i was Tom Sawyer, i didn't get any hassle :)

so, this halloween why not consider dressing up as one of your favorite characters. hey, you can even dress as someone who doesn't normally go barefoot, but who would stop you from pretending that he/she is barefoot on halloween? after all, it's halloween and anything goes! :)

speaking of halloween, how about reading some scary halloween books?

Going barefoot in the old days

2006-09-11T11:38:00.000-05:00

the following is a comment from someone in the USA:

"When I was a kid (a long time ago), in the summertime I only put on shoes on Sunday to go to church."

isn't that wonderful? that was before my time though, but i've heard that was indeed the case. as soon as school was over in the spring, everyone would leave their shoes off and not wear them again until when they went back in the fall except for those who went to church on sundays.

i've also heard that in the old days many even went barefoot to school or even to church perhaps? after all didn't God tell Moses to take off his sandals before stepping on holy ground? so why do people have to wear shoes to church nowadays?

kids in those days certainly knew how to have a good time going barefoot all the time or at least most of the time. sadly today almost everyone wears shoes all year. they surely don't know what they're missing.

maybe someone reading this can relate their experiences going barefoot in the old days. and if there are kids reading, for heaven's sakes, have mercy on your feet, enjoy life even more, and go barefoot at least once in a while!

Henna designs for your bare feet

2006-09-04T13:28:00.000-05:00

ok, i'm on a roll here. just added another page to my web site, this time about henna designs or henna tattoo as some people call it.

many barefooters like to decorate their feet to show others that they're not ashamed of their feet; in fact, they're proud to show them off, and docorations such as toe rings, ankle bracelets, and henna designs make their feet look even more attractive. so, if you go barefoot a lot, why not consider applying some henna designs on your feet and make your already beautiful feet look even more exotic!

another good thing about henna designs is that unlike regular tattoos, they are not permanent. so you don't ever have to worry about regretting getting the tattoo in the future since they will wear off on their own with time.

you can read more about those cool and exotic henna designs at my site, again by clicking on the title of this post :)

Flip flops are cool too

2006-08-23T22:17:00.000-05:00

today we're taking a break from commenting on various quotes by people about going barefoot just to let y'all know that i recently added a page to my website about flip flops.

whoa! flip flops on a barefoot website?? i know, i know, some of you barefooters may chastise me for it. but you know what? not all of us are full time barefooters and in those instances when going barefoot is not possible, like due to the weather work/school, etc. flip flops are actually the next best thing.

why? because when you wear flip flops your feet (most of them anyway) are still exposed; they're not suffocated like when you wear shoes and you can also easily slip off your flip flops whenever you want to. so you are technically one step away from being barefoot. and hey, who knows (keeping my fingers crossed) bare feet might be the next fashionable thing! :)

another thing about flip flops is that in the beginning when they were just starting to be in style, it was mostly women who wore them but in the last year or so there have been more and more men wearing flip flops which is cool. when the temperature starts to warm up, flip flops start to show up just about everywhere. flip flops has become the most favorite footwear of this century and they're here to stay!

you can read more about flip flops at my website by clicking the title of this post.

barefoot in belgium

2006-08-14T23:52:00.000-05:00

the following comment is from someone in belgium...

"in belgium we can not go barefoot very well because the weather is not so good but when it is warm i sometimes walk barefoot. but here its rare to see other people barefoot. also the roads are very hard for walking barefoot. i walk more often in sandals. i don't think there is a group of barefooters in belgium."

hmmm... interesting. probably it's pretty cold in belgium that it's not comfortable to walk barefoot outside? i know, i myself don't like the cold, barefoot or not. that's why i live where it's pretty much warm all year so that i can go barefoot most of the time.

you should know your limits if you venture outside in the cold barefoot. if you're not careful you could get a frost bite and that's no fun! i've heard and seen pictures of people barefoot in the snow but i have not tried it myself. would love too some time just for the experience.

have any of you gone barefoot in the snow? would love to hear your stories. just post a comment.

i'm not sure why the roads in belgium are hard to walk barefoot on. if there is anyone from belgium perhaps you could tell us more about it. if you're a barefooter maybe you can start a barefoot group in belgium. that would be cool! :)

barefoot in singapore

2006-08-05T18:35:00.000-05:00

the following comment was made by an american who was living in singapore at the time...

"Singapore is potentially one of the most barefoot friendly places imaginable because there is no littering, no broken glass, etc. but one almost never sees people going barefoot per se, they're always slipping their flip flops or sandals off when sitting at a restaurant, cafe, park, etc. Conceptually I think this maybe is so because people always take their shoes off indoors to keep the inside of the house clean, and I think they might consider that concept to be undermined by bare feet for walking outdoors, then, indoors. In a sense it seems kind of "politically incorrect" to do so here but I still try as much as possible."

are any of you from singapore or have been there for a length of time? perhaps you can post some comments and share your experiences going barefoot there.

barefoot in australia, new zealand, and hawaii

2006-07-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

the following is a comment from someone in new zealand:

"In New Zealand and Australia a lot of people go barefoot during Spring and Summer, and in Queensland year round. Just returned from a holiday in Hawaii Big Island and Oahu Waikiki. Loved going barefoot everyday. Surprised to see not as many barefooters as expected. Most wore jandals or sandals. Hotels stated they wanted guests to have footwear. I ignored this."

yes, australia and new zealand are paradise for barefooters. i have never been to any of them myself but have heard from others that a lot of people go barefoot in public in those 2 countries, especially in beach communities. it's so common that most don't even give it a second thought. there are very little resistant to going barefoot from establishments.

hawaii is also barefoot friendly compared to most places on the us mainland. again, barefooters are more prevelant in beach communities. however, hawaii is also a part of north america, where many people have a negative attitude toward going barefoot in public. so yes, there are some establishments that have the notorious sign posted, but for the most part they don't enforce it.

on the flip side, there is a shopping mall on windward oahu (windward mall) where a sign is posted by the escalators saying: "for safety reason, customers in bare feet please use the elevators". that is one of the most wonderful signs i've ever read. it means that they sanction bare feet!

Bare your soles and free your soul

2006-07-22T23:30:00.000-05:00

today's quote is by none other than yours truly :)

Smile... it soothes your soul
Bare your soles and walk a mile
Sooth your soles and free your soul
You shall smile for a long while
~barefoot kid~

just as when you smile you feel good, your problems seem to melt away, going barefoot has the same effect.

being barefoot gives me the sense of freedom and the oneness with nature which is exhilarating.

when i'm feeling down i just go outside and take a brief barefoot walk around the neighborhood or drive to a local park and stroll barefoot in there. it serves to remind me that i can still enjoy life and before long my peace is restored.

bare feet and nature

2006-07-20T18:24:00.000-05:00

here's another quote by someone who encourages going barefoot:

"and forget not that the Earth delights to feel your bare feet and the Winds long to play with your hair" ~Kahlil Gilbran

aaahhh... how refreshing! that certainly resonates with me. being barefoot is just so natural. none of us was born with shoes on, right? i love nature and there is nothing compared to being barefoot (or even completely nude) outdoors in the country or the woods surrounded by trees and animals where i can breathe the crisp, cool, and clean air; listen to the birds sing and watch squirells and other small animals jump around in joy.

i certainly can't see why anyone would want to wear anything on their body (especially shoes, yuck!) in such an environment. ok, i know in most places you can't just go naked without getting in trouble but at least you can bare your feet and feel the earth which will also delight in it. let nature caress you and you will be invigorated.

ever gone for a barefoot hike? that's certainly a good way to start.

what people say about going barefoot

2006-07-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

do you often wonder what some people say/think about going barefoot? i don't mean the usual old stuff like 'it's gross', 'it's dangerous', or 'it's against the law' which we know is not true and tired of hearing, but the more positive aspects of it or trying to encourage others to go barefoot as well.

for the next few postings i'm gonna quote other people who have made positive or encouraging remarks about going barefoot. these are the people from different parts of the world whose quotes i read on the internet or have told me personally (mostly in their comments on my guestbook).

today we'll start with this one:

"... Barefoot, we're almost always at peace. We're gentle and tolerant with our fellow man. Stress and anxiety evaporate and grief itself seems bearable as long as our feet are free ..."

by barbara holland in her book "Endangered Pleasures".

i can certainly identify with barbara. i feel the same way. when i'm barefoot i feel more relaxed and cool. in other words, i'm usually in a good and playful mood. i also feel free like a little kid with little inhibition, ready to unjoy life to the fullest.

btw, i like "endangered pleasures." besides going barefoot she talks about many other life's simple pleasures that most people no longer find the value in, or considered taboo like swearing. it's a cool book.

my new barefoot home page

2006-07-07T19:27:00.000-05:00

i have moved my barefoot home page to a new address which is:

http://www.going-barefoot.info

i will be adding a lot of new stuff about barefooting in the near future. so please come visit and bookmark it so that you can check back often! :)

in the mean time keep boing barefoot and enjoy life.

toe rings

2006-06-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

i love toe rings but only recently started wearing them after reading about some guys wearing them on the hip forum. many guys shy away from wearing them 'cos several different things such as being regarded as inappropriate especially by people that are conservative, or sometimes people think they're gay.

i don't really care about what other people think. they're all entitled to their opinion, and so am i! :) and in my opinion toe rings are cool both on girls and guys. if a guy can wear ringa on jis fingers why can't he wear 'em on his toes as well? after all they're just jewelry. besides, it shows people that you feel good about your feet and about going barefoot by decorating them and showing them off.

since i've been wearing them i've never had anyone comment on them either positive or negative but some other guys have had positive comments from girls. so, if some of you guys like to wear toe rings but are wondering whether or not you should, i'd say go for it!

you can find some cheap toe rings on ebay. that's where i got mine. in fact i bought 2 sets. the quality of the first set wasn't really good. they broke after bending them a few times but the second set are pretty good. i wear one on each foot on the second toe.

have fun going barefoot and wearing toe rings! :)

barefoot hip forum

2005-09-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

this is a forum i visit frequently. this particular one is for barefooting and going nude (which i also enjoy). there are other forums on the site on many other topics. just browse around and find your niche :)

Tropical Paradise Hawaii

2005-07-12T11:56:00.000-05:00

Tropical Paradise Hawaii
The Lifestyle:
Ah, yes! This is my favorite thing about Hawaii, and I've saved it for last. Partly because of the warm climate and natural beauty, the lifestyle is very casual and laid back. Outside Honolulu the pace of life is slow, and people take time to appreciate and enjoy the kind and beautiful nature that surrounds them, and attempt to be one with it.

I'm a very casual person, and therefore, I loooove the lifestyle here! Suit and tie are out. Most professional and businessmen wear "aloha shirt" which is a dress shirt with Hawaiian/tropical design. The women wear either regular dress or, if they prefer, "muumuu" which is a long dress also with Hawaiian/tropical design, supposedly very comfy.

The most prevalent attire off work consists of T-shirt, shorts, and "rubber slippers" (flip flops). You can dress so casually just about anywhere, whether shopping, dining, or even flying! It is also customary to take off all footware before entering a home. Being so comfortable, sometimes you forget to put them on before going out... so, you just go barefoot everywhere (like to the malls, grocery stores, casual restaurants, etc.). It's fun, and most people don't care! In fact, many locals consider bare feet their favorite form of footware :)

barefoot in the heat

2005-07-11T00:45:00.000-05:00

i have to admit when it's really hot outside, going barefoot can be kinda uncomfortable or even challenging at times. the pavement gets so hot an rough to a tenderfoot. you have to know your limit. a couple of tricks i hav learned is to walk in the shades and also when there's markings on the pavements (like on parking lots or crosswalks), stepping on the painted surfaces reduces the heat quite significantly.

the upside is when you enter a cool building and step on the cool floor. aahhh... it's havenly! :)

barefoot in the rain

2005-07-08T01:49:00.000-05:00

going barefoot in the rain is one of the best things! while others walk carefully trying to avoid stepping in puddles in order not to ruin their shoes, i do just the opposite. it's really fun to splash on puddles :)

the only drawback is that my soles get really clean (i happen to like dirty soles). but there's an exception. one time i was grocery shopping when it suddenly started to rain. i was like, oh s&#@, it's raining. there goes my dirty soles! oh well... but when i got home and walked through the covered parking area at my apartment, my soles actually got dirtier than before since the ground was really grimy and my wet soles attracted the dirt even more. yea! :)

barefoot 4th of july

2005-07-06T01:11:00.000-05:00

4th of july is always a special time for me 'cos i get to watch the parade near my home in bare feet! :) there are plenty of other barefooters watching the parades. even some of the participants are barefoot.

the last time i went to the parade it rained which actually added to the fun :) i didn't bother bringing an umbrella so i just stood there completely drenched. cool! :)

there was a little girl standing nearby who was also barefoot and playing in the puddle. she looked at me and giggled.

in the evening i went to the beach to watch the fireworks (barefoot of course). life is good! :)

barefoot on the big island

2005-06-30T17:46:00.000-05:00

the big island of hawaii is a fun place to go barefoot. i've seen more barefooters there than on any of the other islands. on the windward side, hilo is the main city and it's very barefoot friendly especially in the local areas. many people go into stores and other establishments in bare feet.

on the leeward side, kailua-kona is the main town and it's kinda touristy, so you may not see as many barefooters there but i have seen a few.

and there's a town called waimea up on the hills more inland which is also very barefoot friendly. it's a small town with many quaint little stores and restaurants, a nice place to stroll in bare feet. while i was there i saw many barefoot kids in the stores as well as s few adults. in one of the chinese restaurants there was a guy dining in his bare feet. cool! :)

barefoot in restaurants - part 5

2005-06-29T01:47:00.000-05:00

the next one was mc donald's. this experience was actually pretty funny. as you know most mc donald's have the sign prohibiting bare feet, but not the ones in hawaii and i had seen others barefoot in there. so i decided to give it a try one day.

so i went in and stood in line to place the order. i didn't see any other barefooters at the time but i remained cool :) at that time they were having the 'mc.rib' which is not a regular item. so just to make sure i asked the attendant if they still had it. she said. 'hold on a second' and went in to call the manager. my heart started to race thinking that she might have seen my bare feet and called the manager to kick me out.

but when the manager came out she told him that i wanted to see him. i was like, uhh... uhmm... no, i didn't ask to see the manager. i told him i just wanted a mc.rib. so he just told the attendant to give me one. all the time my bare feet was in sight and he made no mention of it.

but i was still dumbfounded and a bit shocked. for some reason the attendant misheard me and thought i had asked to see the manager. phew! i was glad that's all it was :) one more victory for the barefoot kid :)

barefoot in restaurants - part 4

2005-06-27T23:21:00.000-05:00

next stop, taco bell. not on the same day as the previous ones, though :) but there's a taco bell near my apartment and i had always wanted to try eating in there in bare feet. so one day i just decided to do it.

it was pretty crowded that afternoon and i had to stand in line to place my order. being the only barefooter made me somewhat feel uneasy but i tried to suppress it and stayed on. i ordered a taco salad and sat down to eat. despite the little uneasiness it was a great feeling to be able to sit in a restaurant and eat in bare feet. when i got done i claimed another victory. yay! :)

barefoot in restaurants - part 3

2005-06-25T23:51:00.000-05:00

wonder where that ice cream on the ground came from? well, there's a baskin robins in that shopping area. so that's where i decided to venture barefoot next. i had seen a few other barefooters in there including one time i saw a man in his 50's driving a lexus went in there barefoot as well as a few barefoot kids. so it was no big deal but still a pleasant experience.

when i went in there were quite a few people but i was the only one in bare feet, but no problem. i bought my ice cream then sat down and enjoyed it. it tasted heavenly in a warm day. my feet had previously tasted it and told me it was yummy, he he he!

barefoot in restaurants - part 2

2005-06-25T01:56:00.000-05:00

the next time i went back to the same fast food restaurant i decided to eat in instead of taking out the food. i had been there previously in bare feet without any problem so i got more confident.

like the last time i ordered the food at the counter and waited there until it was ready and i went and sat at one of the tables to eat. it was a great feeling that i finally was able to eat at a restaurant in bare feet :) there were other customers eating in there and no comments about my bare feet.

a side story: coming out of the restaurant i walked on the sidewalk along the shopping strip and i saw a glob of ice cream on the ground that apparently someone had dropped. just for the fun of it i decided to step on it and ooohhh... the feeling was heavenly! :) there's nothing like having ice cream squish through your toes :) i know some may think it's gross but hey, it's only ice cream. it usually goes into your mouth doesn't it? :)

barefoot in restaurants

2005-06-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

going barefoot in restaurants is one of the most exciting things in my barefoot life. it kinda defies one of the most popular social norms that when you enter a restaurant you have to look 'decent', and i love breaking norms and taboos :) but since i'm knida shy, it took a while and some guts for me to break norms and this one is no exeption.

once i did it though, it got easier the next time around. the first i went to barefoot was a fast food asian restaurant (which you can find plenty in hawaii). fast food places are cool 'cos you don't have to be served and most of them are really laid back.

still, i decided to do it one small (bare) step at a time. the very first time i just ordered to go so that i won't need to sit in there feeling vulnerable. so i just placed my order at the counter and waited till they bring it out and i just left. hey, i can still claim that i went barefoot in a restaurant can't i? :)

working barefoot

2005-06-08T19:59:00.000-05:00

recently i took a part time job delivering phone books. since i did it by myself in my own time i got to do it barefoot! it was the coolest thing. i walked barefoot from house to house in different neighborhood that i otherwise would not have gone to. many people smiled when they saw me but there was no mention of my naked feet.

by the time i got done at the end of the day my soles were nice and black :) i did that for one whole week. even though it was a little tiring it was a lot of fun. and hey, i got paid for walking around in bare feet :)

my favorite barefooting surfaces

2005-06-08T02:02:00.000-05:00

i love walking barefoot on hard but not rough surfaces. grass and natural ground (soil) are my favorite. it makes me feel close to nature. morning dew feels heavenly! :) smooth pavements are next. indoors i love hardwood floors and marble or ceramic tiles. i don't care too much for carpets since the feeling kinda reminds me of socks!

oh, i forgot to mention a couple of things: mud and puddles are also delicious :) there is nothing like the feeling of having mud squishing in between my toes :)

waiting for the station

2005-05-31T00:25:00.000-05:00

"When we reach the station that will be it !" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz." "When I put through college." "When I have paid off the mortgage." "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after."

Sooner or later we must realize there is no station. No one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment" is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118.24: "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.

So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.

~Author Unknown~

top 10 reasons why i go barefoot

2005-05-30T01:39:00.000-05:00

10. Saves me money by not buying shoes and socks
9. Saves time and more practical
8. Builds my confidence - it does take confidence to be different
7. I'm more relaxed
6. My feet are healthy - no infections or deformities from wearing shoes
5. My feet don't sweat and stink
4. Great sensations - I'm able to feel whatever is beneath my soles
3. I feel free and natural
2. My feet get dirty - yep, it's cool to have dirty feet, he he he!
1. It's simply fun!!

antiques

2005-05-25T00:10:00.000-05:00

i love visiting antique stores. there's a certain mystique surrounding antique objects. not too long a go i visited a couple of antique stores in my neighborhood. in one of the stores the girl who attended it was barefoot. i thought, wow, that's cool! :)

if you like antiques like i do, you can check out the following websites: african antiques, antique currencies, musical antiques, nautical antiques, antique books

barefoot on the bus

2005-05-17T01:40:00.000-05:00

one of my favorite things is to ride on the bus barefoot. it was kinda nerve wrecking in the beginning 'cos most of the time i would be the only one barefoot and most other people were well dressed getting home from work. but i had seen a few other barefooters on the bus so i decided to give it a try. after that it became easier every time. i would get a few looks but i would just ignore them and assume that they were all jealous :) like one time it was a rainy day and i rode the bus home from school barefoot; there was an older man sitting behind me wearing tennis shoes, but when he got off he was barefoot and carrying his shoes in his hand. that proved my point, right? :)

driving barefoot

2005-05-14T01:04:00.000-05:00

there is only one way to drive: barefoot! :) you can feel the pedals 100% and therefore have better control. not to mention the feeling of freedom. i started driving barefoot even long before i became a regular barefooter. actually that's the best way to start if you're kinda shy (like me) about being barefoot 'cos after all, who can see you if you're barefoot in the car? unless of course, if you have company in the car.

contrary to what some people say, driving barefoot is not illegal. even if it were, how could they enforce it? it's just a myth or urban legend propagated by those that are against barefooting! so, don't buy into it. you can click here for reference in case you're skeptical.

hey, do you like antique sports cars? i often dream of driving an antique sports car barefoot and shirtless with the top down on a gorgeous spring day! :)

shopping mall

2005-05-12T01:16:00.000-05:00

my favorite shopping mall is 'windward mall' on oahu, hawaii. the sign by the escalators says: 'for your safety, customers in bare feet or with strollers please use the elevators' which means they sanction bare feet! :) that's about the only shopping mall i know of that has special signs like that. signs at other malls simply say: 'no bare feet'.

so i love walking around in that mall even if i don't buy anything. btw, one day i saw a barefoot girl going up on one of the escalators and nothing happened to her, i mean she didn't get electrocuted or anything :) so i did the same and i'm still in one piece :)

talking about shopping, i love antiques. i can't afford to buy most of them but i enjoy looking at them a lot especially if i can do it while barefoot. there's a couple of antique store near where i live and i've seen others go in there barefoot as well. you can also find some bargains online.

encounters with kids

2005-05-11T01:42:00.000-05:00

one time i was riding on the elevator in my apartment complex together with a little boy about 4 years old and his mom. the boy stared at my bare feet and pointed them to his mom without saying anything. the mom then said, 'yeah, he doesn't have any shoes on!' and smiled at me. i just smiled back and nothing more was said till i got off on my floor.

another time i was in a grocery store looking at some stuff on the shelf and there was a little girl about 3 years old standing nearby. she turned toward me and immediately her eyes were fixated on my bare feet, and her face expressed total disbelief as her jaw started to drop. her dad was looking at other stuff on the shelf and wasn't even paying attention to her daughter or me. nothing was said and i finally walked away kind or ammused.

barefoot vacation

2005-05-10T00:23:00.000-05:00

a while back i had a friend from new zealand who visited me in hawaii with his family. he is also a barefooter and it was nice to get together after corresponding only through email for a while. we had a good time and here's the email he sent me after he went back to new zealand.

[written in Hawaii]
From a barefooting perspective, thanks to having conversed with you, you were right--barefooters are more prevalent in NZ than it is here, but rubber slippers (thongs) are more prevalent here. However, out of the places we've been to here, I've seen a few barefooters; and not much resistance or stares about it; which I would still consider barefoot friendly.

[continued on the flight on the way back home...]
We had to re-pack our suitcases in order to fit my running shoes in. Otherwise, I would have had no choice but to wear them. Thank goodness I didn't have to. I left the hotel barefooted into the six-windowed limousine, which had trouble turning around corners (not bad for US$20 + tips). I got to the airport, went to pick up my stored luggage, checked in the stuff; went through security, boarded the plane--not a single problem, not a single stare. Somehow, we ended up in an Air Pacific flight (Fiji Airline). It's some joint service with Canadian Airlines. Our boarding pass says flight FJ861 "sold as CP6121". I don't know whether it being a Fijian airline has anything to do with it, but I did not anticipate too much problems even on a real Canadian Airline flight from Honolulu to Auckland, both barefoot friendly destinations. I had my thongs in my carry-on, just in case nonetheless. Going through the gates, that was the first time in the whole trip that they asked me to open my carry-on to turn on my notebook PC to see though. I don't anticipate any problems landing barefoot in Auckland as well. I've done that before. So, basically as soon as I landed in Honolulu, I've been barefoot full-time again. Too bad it rained when we went to PCC. My feet would have been nice and black otherwise. Surprise, my wife put her sandals in the bag and landed in the Auckland airport barefoot along with me.

For more on this story please check out my website: http://www.going-barefoot.info

letter to local radio station

2005-02-23T01:30:00.000-06:00

the other day while driving in the morning i heard on the radio that it's against the law to go barefoot in establishments like a grocery store. they were actually talking about how the government tries to regulate smoking in public places, and somehow the subject of going barefoot was also mention in passing and was sort of made fun of. so as soon as i got home i wrote an email to the host of the show as follows:

Hi xxx,

I love your show and listen to you every day. That's why I would like to set the record straight on what someone said on your show earlier today that you seemed to agree with.
As I was getting off my car I heard someone say (I don't know who he was) that it's against the law to go barefoot in grocery stores.

Well, that's just not true! There is no government law/regulation/code in Texas or any other state we know (see reference below) that says you can't go barefoot in grocery stores or other public places.

Of course, any establishment can set *their own* dress code but they must state it as such, and not lie and try to hide behind phantom laws. Yes, it's a shame many of them do that, and I just don't want a respectable program like yours to help propagate the myth.
So, I hope you will set the record straight.

For reference please go to: http://barefooters.org/health-dept/

Thank you,
Jonathan

how i became a barefooter - part 4

2005-02-15T00:50:00.000-06:00

after that first barefoot experience in the grocery store it became somewhat easier to go barefoot again in an establishment, but not a whole lot easier, though. i still got very nervous when getting out of the car walking into the store. often times i would actually wait in the car till i saw at least another barefoot person entering the store, then i would quickly come down and go in. it somehow gave me moral support if there was another person barefoot besides myself although i didn't know the person.

this went on for a while before i actually felt absolutely comfortable walking into any place on my own in bare feet. but once it happened, i felt complete freedom. actually it's a very liberating feeling to be able to go just about anywhere without wearing anything on my feet.

so, where have i gone barefoot? well, grocery stores are my favorite 'cos i can spend as much time in there as i want and get my feet really dirty :) the shopping mall is also a great place. i can practically hang out there the whole day and visit many different stores in bare feet. the only thing is my feet don't usually get that dirty since they keep their floors relatively clean.

i have also gone barefoot to the post office, the bank, and fast food restaurants with many interesting experiences which i will share with yu on a regular basis.

how i became a barefooter - part 3

2005-02-14T01:10:00.000-06:00

it took a while though, before i gathered enough courage to try to go barefoot into stores and stuff. the thought of it made me excited but cringe at the same time. what if they kicked me out? wht if i met someone i knew who opposed going barefoot in public? what if, what if... but finally the excitement was stronger than the fear. so, one day i just decided that was it, i was going to go into a grocery store barefoot and nothing was gonna stop me.

i tell you, i was a nervous wreck though! i almost chickened out but i pressed forward... i stepped out of my car (and i didn't bring any footwear along) and walked barefoot across the parking lot into the store. there were a few people around but i pretended no one was watching me. inside the store i just walked around and grabbed a couple of items and put them in my shopping basket. all the while my heart was beating so hard and fast from both excitement and fear combined! on one hand i wanted to get out of there in a hurry to get it over with and claim victory, but on the other hand i was also enjoying the first experience of being barefoot in a public establishment; something that had only occurred in my wildest dream! no, i don't want it to end... not just yet! this is too precious of an experience!

so, i continued walking around for a little while and in the mean time my soles were starting to get pretty black since the floor of the grocery store was pretty grimy :) finally i felt i had enough excitement for the day and decided to proceed to the check out line and pay for my grocery. all of a sudden that fear started to creep in again... what if the cashier would see my bare feet and told me i had to leave? worse yet, what if they yelled at me in front of everyone? but what if none of those would happen? well, i'd just have to wait and see now, wouldn't i?

so, i stood there in line calmly (outwardly, at least) waiting for my turn which seemed like forever. when it finally came, i calmly put my stuff on the conveyor and the cashier, who was friendly, asked me if i had any coupons. i said no, and paid for my stuff, and walked out the door toward my car.

whew!! i did it, and the sky didn't fall!! he he he!! now i can really claim victory. so i drove home with relief and satisfaction. when i looked at my dirty bare soles, i was even more satisfied. mission accomplished! but there's more to come. yes, a lot more and i'll share them with you. be sure to tune in!

how i became a barefooter - part 2

2005-02-12T23:44:00.000-06:00

then i went to college and moved far from my parents. there were quite a few students who went barefoot to classes especially in the spring and summer. outside campus i also saw plenty of people going barefoot in public places like grocery stores, restaurants, and other places. i thought that was the coolest thing! but i didn't immediately have the courage to do the same. it made me nervous in the beginning but at the same time i almost craved it. i just had to do it... i had to start going barefoot in public!

so what i did was try to do it gradually, one little barefoot step at a time :) i started by going barefoot within my apartment complex like going out to check the mail, doing my laundry, and taking out the garbage. later i tried walking around the neighborhood barefoot especially when it was dark, so that not too many people would see me. i had to admit i was shy about it although i knew i was not breaking any law or rules. after a while i was brave enough to do it when it was still light.

the feeling was heavenly! i felt total freedom, and was like living in a completely different word. i particularly enjoyed the sensation of being able to feel the different surfaces and stuff that i walked on such as concrete pavements, asphalt, and moist grass. i also love getting my feet all dirty :) you see, i'm kind of a shy person but also have a rebellious side that gets the thrill of breaking norms and taboos. by going barefoot i am able to satisfy that need without causing harm.

how i became a barefooter

2005-02-12T01:34:00.000-06:00

when i was growing up my parents never allowed me to go barefoot except at the swimming pool/beach and in bed. even inside the house i had to wear sandals. outside the house it was always shoes and socks. occasionally i would see other kids in the neighborhood go barefoot while they played in the streets. my parents said they were of lower class and gross. however, once in a while i would also see kids of higher socioeconomic status go barefoot and got their feet all dirty. so i concluded that going barefoot had really nothing to do with ones socioeconomic status, and i thought it was cool but i never dared go against my parents. occasionally though, while they were gone and i was alone with the house keepers i would take my sandals off and walk around the house barefoot hoping that my parents would not suddenly show up. oh, it felt good even if only for brief moments! and fortunately i never got caught, hee hee!

beeing able to feel the different textures of what's beneath my feet is so addicting, and i wanted to do more and more of it. so i always tried to get every little opportunity to go barefoot around the house.

why go barefoot

2005-02-10T18:25:00.000-06:00

hi, my name is jonathan and i go barefoot a lot, most af the time, most everywhere. i mean not just around the house but out and about in public. that's why people call me barefoot kid. it's really fun to go barefoot and you should try it if you have never done it. don't worry, it's not against the law or anything despite what some people may try to tell you.

that's it for now. i'll write about some of my experiences on a regular basis. in the mean time please check out experience the joys and benefits of going barefoot to learn more about going barefoot. in case the link doesn't work you can copy and paste the url:
http://www.going-barefoot.info