Posted on 01/30/2021 2:17:55 PM PST by SamAdams76
For most of my younger years, I would wear socks and shoes from the time I got up (or out of the shower) to the time I went to bed. Even in bed, I would wear socks. Even in the heat of the summer. Bare feet were only for the shower and the beach.
In 1990, I went to Hawaii for the first time. It was a bit of a culture shock. Everybody was in flip-flops or sandals. In fact, my first stop out of the airport was at an ABC store so that I could look more like the locals. I really looked out of place with my New Balance sneakers and white athletic socks, not to mention the jeans and LL Bean flannel shirt (yes really, it was February and 15 degrees where I was coming from).
So when I got to my hotel, I was a bit surprised to see a sign on the door admonishing me to remove my footwear before entering. Sure enough, I look up and down the hallway and see that indeed, everybody had their footwear neatly stacked outside.
I have been to Hawaii many times since but one habit I maintained was never to go into my home with shoes ever again. Eventually I would do away with the socks as well and I learned to like the feeling of bare feet in my home and even out in my yard.
As the years went on, I began to realize that most people in the world do not wear shoes inside their homes. Not just a Japanese thing.
I would automatically take my shoes off whenever I went into somebody's home even though the residents would often be in shoes. I just feel weird being in a home with shoes one - anybody's home.
Now my feet are so seasoned and callused over that I can comfortably walk in the snow in my yard in bare feet. At least for a little while. I'm sure with practice, I could stay out of shoes full time. The silly pandemic that forced me to work at home most of the past year made my feet even more comfortable bare.
Maybe humans don't need shoes at all.
Stub your toe.
Try to remove a splinter from your foot by yourself.
We never wore shoes in the summer. Or in the house. Only to school, church or more respectable places.
I hate wearing shoes ... always did ... foot masks
...
I remember the bare-footed kickers in the NFL who played in the cold weather. That had to be painful kicking a ball in freezing temperatures.
extra security for skin
nothing you dont want burrowing into your feet from the lawn
Here in Ohio, I wear flip-flops from May to September, and house slippers from November-March. My feet would freeze without slippers in the winter.
I think the FR-approved term is “foot diapers”.
I’m flip-flops guy, even in the winter.
Actually my worst foot injury was walking in shoes - a nail came up through my shoe and I had to get a tetanus shot.
We woke up today and there was about 1.5 inches of snow on the ground. So we all went out with our daughter’s 3 year old toy poodle to a nearby small park. We played and walked to the other end and the others want to cross the street to enter another small park but I said no let’s turn around because Luna’s small paws are going to get too cold.
We all agreed and when we got back I was sitting on a chair and Luna jumped up on my lap and laid down in a particular way with her paws folded underneath her for warmth. So I felt her paws and they were in fact very cold.
As young children during the summer we would often come outdoor without shoes on. Two reasons - laziness and really crappy cheap-ass shoes that were NOT comfortable.
Two things happened. 1. Our feet got hard and calloused like mentioned above. I remember running full speed across a crushed rock rural road in my bare feet with no discomfort. 2. You got sand burrs in your feet. Those suckers are HORRIBLE. In that case you regretted not putting on shoes.
In winter you put and kept your socks and shoes on most all the time. Because the house was very drafty and the floor seemed the coldest (no carpeting).
As an adult I liked to drop my shoes soon after I got home from work. But not instantly. At least not consistently. Which often left me looking about for where I left my shoes later on.
Now that I’m retired it’s usually a decision as to when the next time I have to take the dog out as to whether I take them off or not.
And the change in society’s preferred flooring affects my decision. Hard floors tend to make me leave them on. Carpeted floors make me tend to drop the shoes more readily.
If only Japanese shoe rules were as simple as ‘don’t wear shoes inside’! They usually mark the beginning of the ‘no-shoe’ zone by a step up. Here’s were you take off your outside shoes and put on house slippers—nearly always too small for western feet.
But when entering rooms with tatami mats, one must take off the slippers and only walk on the mats with socks. There will be slippers waiting at the edge of the mat so you can go to different parts of the house.
The toilet constitutes a special zone. There are special toilet slippers that are only worn while in the toilet. It is very important to not contaminate house slippers with the toilet floor or the house floor with the toilet slippers.
Of course you take off your shoes when in a temple. But some temples have grounds that have separate pathways for outdoor shoes and indoor slippers. When the paths cross one another there is way to cross the paths without ‘contaminating’ the other path.
Schools have cubbies for the students to put their outdoor shoes when they enter the building. Because it is Japan, no one worries about someone stealing their shoes.
These days one is overdressed with socks and shoes of any sort. Gym shorts and flip flops seem to be the thing.
I remember being told once that I didn't have to take my shoes off in a temple. Why? Because I'm American. No one else had shoes, so I took my shoes off. They were surprised and impressed.
Once the temp rises above 45 here, out come the shorts and flip flops.
As a kid never wanted to wear shoes. We spent a great deal of time in creeks, grass fields. We’d put on shoes to play sports. My mom liked our shoes to come off so we didn’t track dirt in but running barefoot all the time we still managed to track dirt in. lol I wouldn’t even wear shoes when driving.
Probably makes a difference where you grew up too.
I mostly wear mandals. Keens.
Never was able to callus my feet where I could walk on hot blacktop. But I'm thinking they would have a hard time walking in the snow up here barefoot!
But kids running barefoot is probably the best thing for them in whatever climate.
As far as tracking dirt inside, bare feet seem to clean and dry very quickly. Much more so than shoes. I still have DC mud on my shoes from Jan 6 from the Washington Mall - guess I'll have to throw them into the washer at some point.
I’m barefoot at home, except for slippers when my feet get cold. It’s like the first thing to go, I don’t really consider myself home until I’m barefoot. Other people’s home not so much. When I travel one of my primary rituals is to get barefoot, grab the bucket and head for the ice machine. It’s like I’m claiming the hotel, or at least the part between my room and the ice machine. Flip flops in the yard, AZ ground fights back. Although there’s a couple of windows in the calendar where I’ll get the mail barefoot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.