I bring this up because I did that barefoot today. And it was beautiful. And it wasn't really planned; I just surprised myself. And it was a nice surprise. I was running with my dog today (it was a great detox run, mind you. Something everyone should do for themselves now and then. Detox body and mind; it's so liberating) when Murphy got tired and I started getting blisters on the bottoms of my feet from all the hills. It was toward the end of the run and my feet were really starting to hurt so we (Murph and I) decided to call it quits--we only had about a mile left to go anyway. And since we were so close to home, and the bottoms of my feet were hurting so badly, I decided to take off my shoes. Kinda/sorta thought through "protecting the already hurting feet" buuuuuut didn't really care. So I took the shoes off anyway.
And, oh my gosh, do you remember? Do you remember the last time you really felt warm concrete on the bottoms of your feet? Do you remember the smooth grass and soft earth? Do you remember the transition from the warm concrete to the hot blacktop and the soothing sensation it gave your feet? It was like I was in a whole new world. A world I had forgotten. I hadn't paid attention to that for years! Sure, I don't wear shoes in my parent's house or my apartment, but that's just hardwood floors and carpet--not really anything special. But this, this was unique. I wasn't paying attention to my iPod anymore. Instead, I floated back to my many summers as a little blond girl running through the streets and grass during summer days and nights. The grass was cool and I was safe. Nothing could touch me. And today, at the end of my run, I felt so content. I felt so safe. No, I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my life and yes, I'm anxious about staying in shape for rowing as well as being in another country for 6 weeks. But feeling the grass and the concrete and the blacktop while really paying attention to how I was feeling made me realize that everything is ok; everything will always be ok.
I've been in a funk ever since I came back from college. Probably because transitioning from having my own life and schedule down there back to sharing those things with my family threw me off a little bit. Don't get me wrong: I absolutely adore my family. They are my best friends: always there for me when I need them, no questions asked. And today, in feeling those old memories, I was reminded of how lucky I was growing up and how lucky I am today. I grew up surrounded by such a crazy amount of love that it's completely indescribable. And today, I remembered that. I remembered how much my family loves me and needs me and how much I want to be there for them. It's so cool how such a little gesture like taking off your shoes and paying attention to what you feel can really open your eyes to what's going on both inside and around you. And how it can remind you of what's really important.
So I challenge you. For the next week, take off your shoes. Really feel what the ground underneath you is like. But you don't have to stick to grass. What about concrete, stone, blacktop, sand, rocks, wood, brick, metal, water, a blanket outside on the grass (picnics, anyone?), dirt. What do these remind you of? I think you'll be surprised what these natural floors feel like and even more surprised at what they remind you of. Take a second. Breathe. And slip out of those stifling shoes already.
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