Barefoot in mud

by sharleen wl

a couple of days ago there was a discussion on the reddit barefoot sub about being barefoot in mud. the op wrote: "i just love it when the mud oozes up between the toes and covers my feet." i love being barefoot in mud too but i don't get to do it very often. however this reminds me of my experience when i was a kid around 12 years old.

our family was on vacation and staying at a mountain resort. one morning as i woke up i stepped out the back door. the morning was warm and the air smelled faintly of tropical flowers. i stood on the edge of the meadow behind the resort, my bare toes sinking into the soft grass. "i'm glad i don't have anything on my feet," i thought to myself with a grin, brushing my hair out of my face.

so i set off toward the far end of the meadow where a trail dipped down into the woods. the ground was cool and damp from last night's rain and before long my feet were speckled with mud. the deeper i went the messier it got. the path turned to puddles which then turned to patches of muck, and i loved every squelchy step.

at the bend in the trail i discovered something magical: a giant patch of mud left behind by an overflowing stream. without hesitation i stepped right in. the mud swallowed my feet with a glorious squelch. i sank my toes deeper into the soft earth, wiggling them until i couldn't even see my toenails anymore. the mud oozed between my toes, sticky and wonderful. i giggled and was like "oh this is perfect!"

then i hopped from stone to stone, letting the mud slide over my heels, and even smeared some on my arms and hands like warrior paint. ya, i felt like the barefoot queen of my own wild kingdom. i stomped around leaving deep messy footprints. i even drew shapes on a stone with my toes: hearts, spirals, and silly little faces. i giggle again looking at my completely brown feet and legs.

time flies when your having fun and i wasn't wearing my watch so i didn't even know what time it was but i felt hungry. it must be pretty close to lunch time i thought and decided to walk back to the resort. that was when i suddenly realized something quite alarming. my mom would surely kill me if she saw me like that. it wasn't our own house but as a clean freak she would totally loose it. i was like "fuck! what should i do?" i couldn't just slip through the back door as that would track mud all over the place. there's a garden hose in the front yard so maybe i could clean myself up first before entering and hopefully mom wouldn't see me.

i was pretty nervous so i kept my fingers crossed but unfortunately that didn't work. mom was waiting by the porch with her arms crossed. when she saw me she gasped and then screamed at the top of her lungs, "what the hell did you do?! your a total disaster! i thought you would know better!" her face was totally red.

i froze and then stuttered, "i... i'm so... sorry mom. i was ju... just having fun back in the woods."

she screamed again telling me to wash up with the garden hose, take my clothes off and take a shower. so i did all that and after i was all cleaned up mom belted me. ouch! what's interesting is that my dad never actually hit me but his belt quite often did lol.

did i cry? yes, i was a cry baby (still am). but i always remember my big sister debbie telling me that i had a choice. i could be naughty and live a fun-filled live but occasionally have to pay the price, or i could be a well-behaved girl and live a boring life. so i asked myself, "wasn't it worth it?" a little pain was a small price to pay for such a magical adventure. so i wiped my tears and smiled as i was already dreaming about the next adventure. the next chance to feel the earth beneath my bare soles.

from paradise hawaii this is sharleen the barefoot girl reminding you that life is magical. yes, especially when your barefoot in the mud ;) so until next time...

enjoy going barefoot and have a magical day. and remember bare feet rule. fuck yeah!