Posts Tagged ‘exchange’
Is the Newest Barefooter in Town a Media Writer?
Yesterday morning, I had an interesting and rewarding meeting with Canada’s Sun Media Corporation feature writer Thane Burnett. In the past 10 years or so, I have been interviewed by numerous reporters but I must admit interviewing with Thane was by far one of the most refreshing experiences of this kind in recent months.
When Thane contacted me to propose the article, he explained he wanted to do a cross-media piece focused on the urban barefooting experience here in the city; which would potentially include writing and video reporting for the different Sun Media publications which includes the Sun family of newspapers, Canoe.com and perhaps Sun TV. Needless to say, both the focus of the story, as well as the potential wide reach, got my attention.
There’s a Lot of Assuming Going On!
After nearly 20 years of leading a predominantly barefoot lifestyle, I keep being amazed by the amount of common assumptions “shoddies” (people who don’t like going barefoot and prefer to be in shoes most of the time) make about us barefooters. What I find most interesting is that all shoddies seem to make the same assumptions over and over; even the ones that claim “Oh, I used to spend entire summers barefoot as a kid”.
This, sadly, goes to show how misinformed we are as a society and how generalized these misconceptions are – even among health professionals and other “experts” such as sports trainers and traditional footwear designers; as well as individuals in positions of authority like police officers, security guards, establishment managers and corporation executives, just to mention a few. Additionally and unfortunately, here in North America, the association of bare feet with lack of education, destitution, and the hippie sub-culture is still very predominant. Therefore, we barefooters face a series of social challenges on a daily basis which make our desire to lead a “normal” barefoot lifestyle rather frustrating at times.
Every Day Should be Like Yesterday…
Yesterday was one of those “perfect” barefoot days which make you really enjoy and realize it’s a great lifestyle choice.
I’m in “summer mode” so I’m working from home these days (with a lighter workload) and I had my usual summer work attire on: polo shirt and a pair of cargo shorts; barefoot of course.
I needed a haircut and I was eager to see my hair stylist’s new shop he’s opened a few blocks from home; so I decided to walk there at about 11 am. Joe knows me; so it’s no surprise for him to see me show up in bare feet. However, he has new staff in the new place, so I didn’t know what to expect. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by the receptionist with a broad smile and she asked me to take a seat for a moment while Joe finished a phone call – no mention of my bare feet an no odd looks (need I pinch myself?)
What’s wrong with you!?
Hi all,
Something very nice and funny happened to me this afternoon. I was running late for an appointment with a client at an office nearby my apartment building. Since the client is relatively new, I decided to wear a pair of sandals to avoid any inconveniences and further delays.
As I was passing by the gatehouse at the driveway entrance, I heard a strong voice coming from within the gatehouse: “What is wrong with you!?” I stopped on my tracks and turned just to find the security guard with a big grin on his face from speaking to me from inside: “Why are you wearing shoes! Take them off, take them off!”
I had no choice but to laugh and kick my sandals off… He gave me thumbs up and I continue my walk. It turns out that I walked all the way to my client’s in bare feet and only put my sandals back on before entering into the office lobby… Of course, the sandals came off as soon as we sat in his office.
On my way back, I discalced myself again in the elevator going down and walked back home barefooted… The porter greeted me again with thumbs up and saying: “That’s it! That’s more like you Sir!”
If only all security staff were that friendly and encouraging everywhere!
Stay barefoot, and keep those nice feet happy!
Barefoot Moe
Toronto, Canada
