Hi,
My name is David. I would like to tell you a bit about myself and what I have planned for this space.
As a child, I grew up in the country. We were renters and tended to not stay in one place more that a few years at a time. We rented a 100+ year old house in a cow pasture and then move into a double wide trailer down the road after a few years. No matter where we lived, I liked being outside. I didn't like shoes and definitely hated socks. Sandals or flip flops where my foot wear of choice. As I got older I wanted to expand my foot wear options because I saw other teens with mud boots, steel toed boots, hiking shoes, and even nice formal shoes for church. I found out quickly that I really couldn't stand these. They were hot, cramped, and heavy. Wearing hiking boots while hiking was the worst. My feet and legs felt heavy and I couldn't feel the ground at all. I knew I didn't like shoes but I didn't really understand that I really shouldn't like shoes. I felt social pressure to wear "appropriate" foot wear. What does that even mean? Who decides what is and isn't "appropriate" for my feet.?
Now I am 32 years old. I have had a lot of life experiences that has shaped my views and how strongly I will stand up for them. 10 years ago I spent a year in the jungles of Guyana helping out a village with their education program. By the end of the year I was rarely ever in shoes or sandals. I loved it and wanted to keep going barefoot when I returned to the states. At that time I didn't know how much information there really was about the health benefits of going barefoot. However, it didn't take long before I was used to wearing shoes again. I still thought that going barefoot was just a preference of mine and nothing more. So why fight against the norm?
Last summer was the first time in my life that I felt like I should start a bare-footing life style. I started hearing about runners who can train and run without injuries because they don't wear shoes. I knew I was going camping for a week near Mt. Hood later in the summer so I started getting my feet tougher. My goal was to go the whole week without shoes. I was able to get close to that but my feet couldn't take it. I learned that it takes some time and patience to get healthy feet if you have a life time of mostly wearing shoes.
Since last summer, I have really done some exciting research into being barefoot. I am now totally convinced that wearing shoes is a huge health risk. I am now working on getting my feet tough enough to be barefoot all the time. I am really looking forward to winter to try how my feet hold up in the snow and ice.
This space is going be here for not only my story but also yours. I have learned a lot already and had some struggles engaging in this life style. I will share anything I come a cross that will help inform, support, and grow this movement of going barefoot.
