Going barefoot is fun!

Now, I am not just saying this because I happen to enjoy going barefoot myself, and I especially enjoy seeing beautiful women in their bare feet.  There really is something to this whole "going barefoot" thing.  Going barefoot is fun for everyone!

Let's look at some of the evidence.

Barefoot Fun in Poetry

Perhaps the most well-known example of someone expressing the pleasure of going barefoot is Don Herold's poem, "I'd Pick More Daisies," from the October 1953 issue of Reader's Digest.

The poem contains the line, "I would start barefooted a little earlier in the spring and stay that way a little later in the fall."

It's been adapted and paraphrased countless times.  Indeed, my first exposure to it was as a different writing, entitled "If I had my life to live over," attributed to Nadine Stair.

But, in whatever medium you run across it, the point is:
People obviously enjoy going barefoot.

Why else would so many people rewrite and quote the poem?  If its words did not ring true, why would they bother?

They wouldn't.  Going barefoot is fun!  The whole world knows it.  People keep quoting the poem because other people enjoy reading it.  And they all know that life needs more barefoot fun.

Barefoot Fun in College

In an article in The New York Times, a student at Reed College in Oregon is quoted as saying, "I don't exactly see it as some sort of barefoot lifestyle or big statement against the man.  It's like climbing trees.  Tree-dwelling lifestyle?  No.  Fun?  Yes!"

Colleges have often been the stronghold of the free-thinking.  Bare feet are fairly common at all college campuses, and not just the two referenced in the article that are apparently famous for being barefoot-friendly.

Now, why would so many students go barefoot if it were not comfortable and enjoyable?

They wouldn't.  Going barefoot is fun!  :)

Barefoot Fun in the Rain

Splashing barefoot in the puddles of a warm, spring rain is a pleasure to which I think everyone can relate.  Unfortunately, most people seem to relegate this to a pleasure reserved for childhood.

Foolishness, I'm telling you.

There is no reason why a grown person should deny herself the simple pleasure of dancing around barefoot in rain puddles.

If I can have a yearly pass to Disneyland, and feel comfortable going by myself if no one is available to join me, then certainly every man and woman in the U.S. can enjoy the pleasure of splashing around barefoot in the puddles of a springtime rain.

Barefoot Fun in the Mud

Okay, this is where it gets really good.  :)

Going barefoot in the mud is one of the most uniquely enjoyable experiences life has to offer.  One of the reasons it's so great is because it is actually fairly rare, especially if you live in my part of the country.

For this to be the most fun, it requires a special kind of mud, and it isn't just wet dirt.  The good kind of mud - the kind that squishes up between your toes and holds its shape, that allows you to sink inches deep and slips and slides around - requires days of steady rain.  It's not the kind of thing that you can just go out in the backyard with the hose for a few minutes and create.  This is what makes it special.

Again, most people see this as a joy reserved for childhood, but again I say that makes no sense.  The nerve endings in your feet crave stimulation as much as an adult as they do when you're a kid.  Why starve them just because you're pretending to have "grown up?"

Forget that!  Take your shoes off and go barefoot in the mud!  You know you want to!  :D

Continue from Barefoot Fun to Barefoot Running for more evidence about the truth.

Return to The Barefoot Truth.

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