Wednesday 7 December 2011

Yesterday was a day of little steps, albeit most of them in some kind of footwear when outdoors.
I did the shopping in my unlaced trainers, and after returning home donned my flip flops to ferry the shopping bags back from the car. Later on I went out to clean the car windows, again in flip flops. Some would no doubt say that's no big deal, but those people in all probability don't live in such a conservative town as the one I live in where any deviation from the established norm is viewed with suspicion and in many cases outright hostility.

There is also the issue of friends and acquaintances. Ours is a small seaside town with a population of only 53,000, and you can almost guarantee that if you don’t know each person you pass in the street, someone who you do know does. So there is no anonymity and one could very quickly become a social outcast.

That on its own would not deter me from simply going barefoot all the time. But I have also to take into account the affect it would have on my wife and most of all my children who would be at the risk of heavy duty teasing from their friends. At the moment they are going through those teenage years when image is the beginning and end of their lives, and it’s bad enough that Dad wears flip flops in town, so they would be absolutely mortified if I were to be seen barefoot in town, especially in winter.

Despite these barriers to my desire for barefoot living I have at least a partial solution that would be applicable in some circumstances. Recently I had an accident when a heavy box landed on my bare feet. It bruised my toes and feet and recently the nail on my right big toe came away. This has left it tender to any pressure, and although I can tolerate wearing trainers and socks I am obviously far more comfortable when barefoot.

I put this to the test last night when I went to a football match. For those not acquainted with the structure of football in England I should explain that this was what is termed a non-league match, that is to say not professional. Although I’ve been to football matches in flip flops before, it’s always been around August or April and May when, due to the warm weather it’s socially acceptable for men to be seen in flip flops. This was different simply because it’s December and everyone is wearing shoes, boots and the like.

The reasons I chose to experiment with wearing my flip flops at this particular match are that I knew there wouldn’t be many in attendance (there were only 51 paying customers in the stadium) so the chances of ridicule or hostility would be limited, and the fact that it was a midweek match meant that it would be dark so my footwear, or lack of, wouldn’t be as apparent.

I drove barefoot to the match through rain, some of it heavy, and although by the time I reached the ground it had stopped and the sky was clearing, the gravel car park was very wet. I put on my flip flops to walk to the entrance and was immediately struck by how cold it had become, my breath clearly visible in the night air.

The entrance to the stadium was attended by three teenage girls who took my money but then, on noticing my summer footwear, had a little giggle to themselves at my expense. I encountered one or two quizzical looks as I made my way to the tea hut but no one said anything. After buying my tea I made my way to the small seated stand and sat down in the second row. Shortly afterwards a guy sat in the front row and as often happens at football matches we fell into conversation about the game. 

He kept having to turn round in his seat to talk to me so I decided to join him in the front row. He soon noticed my lack of appropriate footwear for the conditions although he said nothing. So I offered him the explanation regarding my foot accident and he told me that something similar had happened to him in the past. As we sat watching the game I took the opportunity to slip off my flip flops and put my feet on the wet ground. I must confess it was bloody freezing! Not surprising really considering the temperature had dropped almost to freezing.

I was surprised to discover that despite the cold the experience was not unpleasant after I’d got over the initial shock, and I remained barefoot for the remaining twenty minutes to half time. At the break my companion offered me a cup of tea so I put my flip flops back on and we made our way to the tea hut. We watched the second half standing up in a different part of the ground which gave me the opportunity to once again go barefoot. I managed about 30 minutes standing on the cold, wet concrete before it became uncomfortable and I put my footwear back on. At the end of the game we said goodbye and made our way back to our cars. I drove home barefoot and walked from the car to the house the same way.

When I got up this morning I realised I’d left something in the car last night, so in just my dressing gown and nothing else I went outside to the car which is parked about fifty yards from the house. I soon realised how sore my heels are after last nights barefoot adventure and it reminded me that my feet still have a lot of toughening up to do. I had contemplated taking a letter to the postbox round the corner barefoot, but my sore heels and the fact that one of our neighbours was outside their house dissuaded me so I put on my flip flops. I also spoke to my wife about my sore toe and I’m hoping that this will induce a more tolerant attitude towards me wearing little or no footwear outside the house. 

It’s a week now since I began my barefoot quest and I feel I’ve made some small but significant steps towards living a more footwear free life. For one thing I’ve been barefoot indoors for a full week. I’ve attended a public event and managed to be barefoot at least part of the time. And I’ve begun to look for opportunities to be barefoot outside so as to toughen up my feet. I haven’t got the car today but the next time I have I’m planning to go to a less popular part of our beach and walk along the front, maybe even getting into the habit of walking on the pebbles.

This will all take time and not a small amount of effort. But I’m enjoying the experience and looking forward to the next thing, whatever that may be.       

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