this is interesting

Go read this article. I am an unrepentant bare-footer. Even as a small child on the farm, I refused to wear shoes, much to the chagrin of my father. He had a cousin who had to have a large splinter surgically removed, because she went barefoot. Now, I find out that I was right. Being barefoot is better for you!

Mark's doctor told him he should probably never go barefoot again, after his surgery 2 years ago. However, I've noticed something. Mark, as most of you have noticed by now, is incredibly tall. As in, he's the same height as Michael Jordan. He's 6'8". That's standard door frame height. Yes, he barely misses doorways, and if he's not careful, he'll hit his head. The boots that the shoe doctor recommended add an additional 2" to his height, which means he's ducking through doorways.

But, he's awkward. Never played basketball, even though he was this tall at 16. He just has no grace. Unless he's not wearing shoes. He will wear socks non-stop (even when he sleeps; he has calluses that catch t he sheets, and drive him batty, and yes, we go through a lot of socks), but if he's in the house, the shoes come off. While he's still not Mikhail Barishnekov (and i know i didn't spell that right, lol), he's much more comfortable moving around the house. It's almost like watching long, leggy birds, like cranes or herons. A long, lean grace that's beautiful to watch (and trust me, i like watching, lol).

Any way, this has made me decide something. I'm going to walk barefoot much more (although i do a lot as it is!). the biggest hazard is broken glass. So i'm thinking about investing in some of those "barefoot" shoes you see. I was at parent-teacher conferences in march, and one of the band moms (who is a physical therapist) was wearing a pair. So I know where to get them. I think I may be checking them out tomorrow. And the thought of wearing them? Bliss.