Posts Tagged ‘place’
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.
Encounter with a Barefoot Runner
As many of you know, I’m no runner (barefoot or otherwise). I’ve been actually struggling with my fitness level since I gained substantial weight after starting my career as a graphic designer in my late 20′s – my lifestyle became increasingly sedentary as I got a job that kept me sitting at my computer most of the day…
Despite my ever-going admiration for barefoot runners, I have never seem to be able to get into it. The excuses are numerable: ranging from lack of time to the fact that I’ve never been a runner in the past… The closest I get to it these days is my “power walks”; which consist in 3 to 4 laps around the park near by my house(about 4 to 4.5km on average) 3 times a week or so.
So it happens that this week I have minimized my power walking because I messed up an old sprained ankle last week by using my elliptical trainer, which I have now determined it’s not appropriate for my height, late last week. Last night, however, I decided to go for an easy walk to the park to start getting myself back on track. I started slowly as hard surfaces like concrete are still irritating to my right ankle and parts of my foot arch. Once warmed up, I managed to get to a relatively good pace and I decided I to try to complete 3 laps around the park perimeter. So far so good!
Offensive!?
I found this great photo on Flickr this morning. As far as I’m concerned, the perfect image of relaxation and life joy: the great scenery, the rooftop patio, a fine pint of darught, and – of course – a pair of beautiful bare feet propped on the table.
Nevertheless, the photo owner, felt the need to post a note on his photo, right on top of his bare feet that reads: “I had been planting things and walking around barefooted… I hope there’s nothing offensive here!”
“Gross Guy on the Train”
Isn’t it the saddest, most judgmental title for this beautiful photo? The owner, someone who calls herself “Julie Cakes” who thought it was “gross” to be barefoot in the train (subway I assume) due to the dirt that this guy’s beautiful feet can be in contact with.
One more perfect example of how ignorant most people here in North America are about how healthy barefooting is…
I actually confronted her on Flickr.com and pointed out that how gross it was to be touching all the bars on the train with her bare hands and then bringing them close to her mouth, nose and eyes. She seemed to understand what I said…
At any rate, I love the photo. The only thing the guy could have done to make it better is have no shoes with him at all!
Barefoot Moe
barefootcanada.ca
Taylor Creek Park
This is one of my favourite spots in Toronto for barefooting. I go along these biking/walking paths almost every day during the warm months and really enjoy the scenery and the amazing surfaces along the creek.
It really amazes me that a metropolis like Toronto can have so much green space available. We’re really blessed with the Don Valley and its park areas running from north to south right along the city.
Barefoot Moe
barefootcanada.ca/toronto
