Going Barefoot

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall."
(poem "I'd Pick More Daisies" by Nadine Stairs, age 85)

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love to walk barefoot. I love the feel of grass or sand or even mud on my bare toes. There are two surfaces I don't like: gravel (with wet feet) and paved roads (on a summer day). I love the soft warm feel of a cleanly swept porch and the rushing water of brook.

Children need to experience the world. They need to feel the different textures and temperatures of things. They need to go barefoot more often.



Let them dance in the raindrops
and stomp through the puddles.
Let them roll down a grassy hill.
Let them swing from the branches of a tree and blow dandelion seeds in the wind.
Let them eat berries in the fields without washing them off.
Let them dig in the dirt and find wiggly worms.
Let them catch frogs and feel slimy slugs.
Let them handle an ladybug and watch the ants.
Let them sniff a flower and get pollen on the end of their nose.



The evenings are getting longer and the temperatures warmer. Play ball, take a walk, get a little dirty...kick off your shoes and go BAREFOOT!