Fun barefoot day around town

barefoot staycation day 2

by sharleen wl

it's monday morning, the second day of my barefoot staycation. rays of sunlight filters through my bedroom window and the birds are chirping outside. i stretch my arms and legs, feeling the cool breeze that comes in from the open window. ya, like many dwelling places in hawaii my apartment isn't air-conditioned. we don't need it that much cuz the trade wind blows almost constantly. occasionally it stops blowing and the air becomes sticky but that's only like a couple of weeks in a year.

i look at my dirty soles and giggle as they're a sign of living a fun and free barefoot lifestyle. yesterday was quite enjoyable and today more exciting adventures await. but...there's something i need to do before i even start the day. last night i was too tired and this morning i feel a strong urge to do it. noo, i'm not talking about washing the dishes 🤣. hint - not wearing anything in bed really makes it easy 😉

ok now i'm happy. that was like having a wonderful breakfast in bed 🤣. now i'm ready for another barefoot fun-filled day. so i get out of bed feeling the cool floor beneath my feet. it feels great. i don't understand people who always have to wear something on their feet, like they go to bed in socks and walk around in slippers even inside the house. they don't realize how much of life's simple pleasures they're missing out on.

since i skipped brushing my teeth yesterday i decide to do it this morning just so that i don't get cavities. i also quickly wash my face so i feel fresh but i still don't bother combing my hair. i like the messy hair look as it portrays a care-free lifestyle which goes well with bare feet. i put on the same clothes as yesterday which are my favorite (short shorts and a crop top) and head out the door.

yesterday i spent the day in nature, today i'll spend it in the town. as i step outside the warm pavement greets my feet. i take a deep breath and smile as i feel the sun on my skin. i feel alive. i walk down the street feeling the rough texture of the concrete and the smooth cobblestones under my feet. i love the way that walking barefoot makes me feel more connected to the earth and to my surroundings. its wonderful to feel every stone and every bump in the road as well as every blade of grass that tickles my toes and how the soft dirt soothes my soles.

shoes are nothing more than a barrier between me and the natural world and i refuse to let anything stand in the way of my connection to nature. i still get negative comments every once in a while like from relatives and friends. they would say that going barefoot is unhygienic, dangerous, and improper. i also get stares and disapproving looks from strangers occasionally. yes, even here in hawaii. but i don't give a fuck. i'm used to all that by now. in fact, i enjoy it and if anything, it makes me feel even more rebellious. i love how going barefoot makes me stand out from the crowd. i'm a free spirit, and my bare feet and unconventional lifestyle are a symbol of my independence and defiance.

anyway, my first stop is my favorite coffee shop. the barista knows me quite well and always smiles at my bare feet. we exchange pleasantries and i order my usual latte and sit down. my eyes quickly scan the room to see if anyone else is barefoot. i'm always happy to see another barefooter in a public place. although i don't usually talk to them, i always feel like there's a common bond between us. but no luck this morning. everyone else is shod or wearing flip flops. oh well. i pull my phone out and try to catch up with the news and social media. i enjoy the feeling of the cool tiles under my feet as i sip my latte.

my next stop is the used bookstore that i love to visit. i'm a ghost story lover and they have a great collection of ghost story books. as i walk in i feel like all eyes are on me. but i walk confidently towards the horror section just like i did in this story 😉. they have no shortage of ghost story books. in fact they've had several new ones since my last visit there about a month ago. i decide to sit cross legged on the floor as its easier for me to browse the books that way rather than bringing them to a table several feet away. that also makes my dirty soles visible and people who walk by all look at me.

after a while i find a couple of books that i like so i take them to the nearest table so i can sit in a chair and read them. feeling a little naughty i put my feet up on the table while i read. that way everyone can continue to see my filthy feet. even more clearly this time lol. at one point a guy comes by and stands sideways right in front of me while holding a book. he pretends to read but i can tell he keeps glancing at my feet every few seconds. i'm biting my (finger) nails trying hard not to giggle. he leaves after like 15 minutes.

a while later i'm startled by someone calling my name. "hi sharleen!" i look up and in front of me stands mr. williams, an older gentleman who's a regular at the restaurant where i work. i immediately bring my feet down from the table and say "oh hi mr. williams, i'm sorry!" apologizing for my bad manner. he then sits in one of the empty chairs next to me. i instinctively pull down on my crop top hoping that it will cover at least a little bit of my totally exposed belly. but of course it doesn't 🤣. then i quickly tell myself everything is cool, i'm a free spirit enjoying my life and just being who i am.

"i see that you don't like wearing shoes," says mr. williams. i giggle and reply, "you're right."

"well you're adopting the hawaiian way of life," he says again. again i giggle and brush my bangs with my fingers.

he's trying to find a book for a project he's working on which is hard to find since they no longer publish it and he's hoping the used bookstore will have it. i tell him i'm off for a week and he says we're lucky to live in hawaii so that we don't need to travel anywhere for vacation. after a few minutes of small talk he gets up and leaves. i look at the time and oh my god its 1:30! i didn't expect it to be that late. but hey, i'm on vacation so who gives a fuck about the time, right? its just that my tummy is growling. so i decide to buy one of the books and put the other one back in the shelf. its titled mysteries of hawaii (available on amazon) which contains ghost stories from the hawaiian islands.

"did you find everything ok miss sharleen?" asks the cashier as he smiles at me. i smile back and reply, "yes thank you." i walk out of the store and head for my apartment which is like 10 minutes away. the pavement has gotten warmer by now but not hot, so it feels nice on my soles. i light up a cigarette and smoke it along the way as it relaxes me. i know its a bad habit which stemmed from rebelliousness and now i'm hooked. but i'm not recommending it, so don't scream at me lol.

as soon as i enter my apartment i take everything off and head for the kitchen. i'm starving by now. so i quickly heat up the food i cooked last night and eat it while i watch tv. i still have a pile of dirty dishes and utensils in the sink which i reluctantly wash after i finish eating. ok what's next on my barefoot staycation plan?

i originally wanted to go to the beach after lunch. not to swim, just to sit there in the shade and read a fun book and watch people which is one of my favorite past times. but i just bought a ghost story book which i'm eager to read and the beach atmosphere doesn't complement it. so i'll just read it here in my apartment. but where? the living room is kinda bright and warm as the afternoon sun shines through, and that's not very favorable. but my bedroom is kinda dark and cool which is great. so i climb into bed and start reading. after going through a couple of chapters i feel drowsy and fall asleep.

it's like 5 pm when i wake up. time really flies. before long it'll be dinner time. i call some of my friends at work to see if any of them wants to go out for dinner with me. they sound pretty excited and tell me to meet them at the restaurant at around 6:30 and we'll decide where to go then. i have a little time to kill before i have to leave. so i turn on my computer and watch some youtube videos.

i arrive at the restaurant and everyone including the big boss (owner) gets to see me in my current attire with bare feet and bare tummy 🤣. but since i'm off duty none of it is an issue. everyone knows i don't like wearing shoes (as i requested to work barefoot during the lock down) but they all didn't know that i also go barefoot just about everywhere else. they're surprised and are like, "sharleen, your not wearing shoes?" i calmly tell them that i love going barefoot and do it on a regular basis. its not really a big thing in hawaii but still, barefooters are in the minority so its pretty interesting. aiden who's the manager and a couple of years older than me says he also doesn't like wearing shoes, that's why he wears flip flops all the time but he's too shy to go barefoot all the way. the good thing about hawaii is that flip flops are an acceptable casual footwear in most places.

so 4 of us are going out (me plus aiden and 2 wait staff girls) and aiden is the driver. the big boss is kind enough to give them the rest of the night off since the restaurant isn't too busy. we decide to go to an italian restaurant at the mall but my friends are a little worried that they won't let me in barefoot since its kind of a nice restaurant. i tell them if that happens we'll just eat at the food court and they all agree. to our pleasant surprise they let me in barefoot. the food is delicious and we stay until closing time (9 pm).

since its kinda late aiden decide to take all the girls home. i'm the last since i live the closest. i invite aiden into my apartment for some coffee and he accepts. he tells me that he really admires my positive care-free attitude and unconventional way of life. this is what he says specifically (i asked him to write it down since i really cherish it): "in a world that often feels cold and hopeless, you are a shining example of the beauty and joy that could be found in the simplest things. you may be seen as rebellious by many, but you are just living life the way it's meant to be lived: barefoot, wild and free. you believe life is magical and you're one of the reasons for it. you're a magic girl." wow, i'm speechless. so i hug and kiss him which makes him blush.

we joke around and talk alot about life and everything else and when we look at the time its almost midnight! aiden has to drive over the mountains to get home which isn't very safe since its late and he's had quite a long day. so i offer him to stay at my apartment for the night. he hesitates for a while but i insist and he finally accepts. after all he's single and lives by himself too so he doesn't have to answer to anybody. at first he wants to sleep on the sofa but i tell him i have a queen bed which is big enough for both of us.

well you know how it goes. one thing leads to another. we have lots of fun tonight until we're totally exhausted. we also make a little mess but i come prepared with a towel so we can kinda clean ourselves before falling asleep <giggles>. its been another exciting barefoot day. good night everyone!

from paradise hawaii this is sharleen the barefoot girl reminding you that life is magical. yes, it really is. so until next time...

aloha and have a magical day!

barefoot staycation day 1

barefoot in the haunted woods at night