Barefoot Sisters

I am the 3rd child in our family of 5 children. It's interesting that the ones who have any interest in barefooting at all are the girls (although I was the only avid barefooter in the beginning, and the most rebellious). I would go barefoot just about every chance I had, to my mom's dismay.

barefoot sisters

My big sister Debbie would go barefoot in public every once in a while when she was "in the mood" for it. My little sister Sharleen (a.k.a. Lynn) was a barefooter at heart as she said she enjoyed the feeling of her soles touching the different surfaces, but she didn't like getting her feet dirty, so her barefooting was initially limited around the house. My oldest and youngest brothers (Steve and Kevin) have zero interest in going barefoot.

One day Debbie and I (she was 16, and I was 12) conspired to do something pretty crazy. We were going to shop at the mall, and Debbie was in the mood to go barefoot.

Both our younger siblings (Lynn, 9 and Kevin, 8) wanted to come along pretty badly as they wanted to visit the arcade. So Debbie and I told them we would let them come along under one condition: they had to be barefoot!

They were both quite reluctant in the beginning, especially Kevin. But the excitement of playing the games and possibly winning prizes was so great that they finally agreed to go in bare feet. Of course, we didn't tell our parents about it, and we never foresaw what happened later that day.

Close to dinner time our parents called and told us we were going to have a family dinner at a restaurant, and since the four of us were already out, we should just go straight to the restaurant and meet them (mom, dad, and Steve) there. We were like panic stricken for a moment. "Uh oh...but we are all barefoot. We have no time to go back home first, so what are we gonna do?" we said to each other.

We still didn't tell our parents though, for we would get yelled at. But it seemed we were going to get in trouble no matter what (you will see why later), so we decided to just brave it and go to the restaurant in bare feet. Poor Kevin was so scared that he was shaking.

When we got to the restaurant mom had the shock of her lifetime to see 4 of her kids barefoot. She was furious. She chastised each one of us in front of the restaurant, but Debbie and I bore the brunt of her wrath since we were the ones who "made" the other 2 go barefoot. Kevin was in tears as he didn't really enjoy walking barefoot to begin with (he said his feet hurt from stepping on "things" and they got yucky), and now he got scolded for it too!

Luckily, dad intervened. He gently pulled mom aside and told her to take it easy, as we didn't really do anything to hurt anyone or ourselves. Besides, many other people go barefoot in public including to restaurants here on the islands, and he was sure the restaurant wouldn't mind. That calmed mom down a bit, but she still argued that it was not "proper" to dine in a restaurant in bare feet. "Well, it's acceptable here," dad said calmly.

You see, mom is of the old school and the disciplinarian. She had a hard time letting Debbie and I go barefoot in public places in the beginning although she eventually relented. But seeing 4 of her children barefoot to a restaurant was something she had never expected - something absolutely shocking! :)

Dad on the other hand, is very easy-going. His principle is, you can basically do anything you like as long as it doesn't harm other people or yourself. He smiled and winked at us as we walked into the restaurant where we were all seated with no problem. What a relief!

Steve, our oldest brother is also very laid-back. Although he is not into barefooting, he was quite amused to see his brother and sisters all barefoot, and was having a hard time holding back his laughter the entire time. He comforted Kevin who was now sitting next to him smiling. He said it was a terrible experience, and would never do it again.

Lynn was entirely different. She thought it was a fantastic experience, and would love to do it again (yeah, good luck with mom, right?). She said she wasn't worried about getting dirty feet because she could wash them when she got home. I knew she was a closet barefooter.

Fast forward 3 months.

One Saturday morning when I was away on a school retreat, mom, Lynn, and Kevin were going out to shop at the mall. Lynn was trying to decide which pair of flip flops she should wear: the black one, the pink one with Mickey Mouse on them, or the white one with transparent straps that from a distance made her look like she was barefoot. Then a very bright idea came to her. She mustered all her courage and asked, "Hey mom, can I just go barefoot?" <gasp!>, the nerve she had! :)

(Note: Lynn had undergone a physical transformation that boosted her confidence. Read about it here.)

"Uh...well...OK, if you're comfortable with it." replied mom with little resistance although she was a bit hesitant. Of course, Lynn was elated but not too surprised as mom had been pretty lenient about letting me go places barefoot lately (dad had managed to convince her that she should "hang loose"), so she figured mom would let her do the same.

"Yay, thank you mommy!" said the pretty little girl with excitement as she jumped into the car wearing nothing on her feet.

"But mom, she's gonna have yucky feet!" said Kevin trying to give his sister a hard time.
"It's OK, she can wash them when we come home," replied mom.
Lynn stuck her tongue out at her little brother and giggled.

She then propped her feet on the dashboard, prompting mom to look at her and ask, "Are your feet clean?"
"Of course, mommy, I haven't walked outside yet."
"You can't do that on the way back!" warned mom sternly.
"OK, mommy!" Lynn replied with a sweet smile.

This sister of mine has a cheerful disposition. As a kid she was mischievous at times, like most healthy kids are, but always in a playful way, and she never had a tantrum. Even when she was little she already had a positive outlook on life. She believes life is magical, and always looks at the bright side of things. She is always kind to others even when they are not so nice. That's why everyone loves her, especially dad (she is daddy's girl).

I called her later that morning when they were in the mall just to catch up with my little sister who also was (and still is) my best friend. When asked if she missed me, she said she did, but she was also having a great time with Kevin.

"Hey Tania, guess what! I'm barefoot!" she suddenly said.
"What? Are you serious? And mom is with you?" I said in disbelief.
"Yep!"
"Wow, that's really cool! Are your feet dirty?" I asked just to tease her.
"Of course, duh! But that's OK, I'll wash them when I get home." and she giggled.

Since that day Lynn went out barefoot more and more often and today, like me, she goes barefoot just about everywhere. The only difference is, she always washes her feet when she gets home and if she's not going out again for the day. I on the other hand, like to keep my feet dirty for a while.

In the next post I'll tell you about her exciting experience going barefoot at school. You don't wanna miss it!

Note: this article is not about The Barefoot Sisters (2 sisters who hiked the Appalachian Trail barefoot).

Update
Lynn is now in college (yeah, time flies) and has just written an article A Day in the Life of a Barefoot College Student. You're gonna love it!

Enjoy going barefoot? Check out this book!

Posted by Tania WL

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