He loved the cold ooze of the marsh at his toes. He felt the knowingness of the wild grass against his foot pads. – Steven James Taylor, American composer (1954-)

Going barefoot is the gentlest way of walking and can symbolize a way of living-being authentic, vulnerable, sensitive to our surroundings. – Adele Coombs, author “Barefoot Dreaming” 

The gardenias were still looking pretty puny after the cold blast of winter. It was a toss up of whether or not they’d survive. A few weeks ago, I poured water and liquid fertilizer over them from off the porch. Recently small green leaves have started to emerge. Seemed about time to fertilize again so I kicked off my shoes in the living room and slipped outside. The new leaves were small but healthy. The largest gardenia bush had produced four blooms. I walked up and down the porch. The feel of worn boards under my feet felt good. I went back into the house to look for my shoes where even the cool floors felt soothing to my bare feet. I decided to nix my shoes for a while. 

I often walked barefoot through the grass as a child. The grass felt wonderful, the stickers did not, but I quickly learned to identify and avoid stickers. In elementary school I loved those biographies and read the one of Pocahontas where she could run swiftly over mudflats while barefooted. I was smitten so for a while I practiced running barefoot through the mud. 

Later in life in my teens and twenties I would go to the beach and walk barefoot in the sand or through the waves until the water covered well over my ankles. That too felt so good and refreshing. Then came sandals and flip flops. Though comfortable, barefoot was still better. 

In 1985 I watched the movie “Out of Africa,” where I was introduced to the Maasai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania. They are typically among the tallest people in the world. The average is 6.25 feet tall. They looked regal. The Maasai often walk distances up to 37 miles in a day. Studies show they walk barefooted and don’t suffer with foot ailments. Again, I was smitten with the idea of walking on paths through the jungle or a forest on paths having been worn smooth by so many walkers over centuries. It was a dream never fulfilled.

However, there are some barefoot benefits we can do like walking in grass or across a cool tile floor or even a visit to a sandy beach. Research shows walking barefoot energizes the whole body. There’s a name for it, called earthing or grounding. Walking barefoot may improve foot muscle strength and flexibility, improve balance and posture. There are those who believe we have moved further and further from our connection to the earth. Walking on it where we can feel the “earth move under our feet” is soothing, reduces pain, reduces muscle soreness, decreases stress and anxiety, and improves sleep. 

I’m not knocking wearing shoes because I do love them, but like a vacation, going barefoot through the grass, over a worn wooden porch, or on cool tile floor elevates the soul and the sole.

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