My day without shoes

Today, as a part of TOMS Shoes’ One Day campaign to raise awarness about the 40% of the world that doesn’t have shoes, I didn’t wear shoes.

What an experience.

It started when I let the dog out this morning. He, of course, ran off, forcing me to chase him. It was somewhat damp outside, but not a big deal. When I let him out later, though, he really ran off. I tried to find him without my shoes, but decided it would be faster if I had shoes.

I left my house at 1:25ish to go to class. I put my Chacos in my backpack just in case. I was feeling pretty self-conscious about goung barefoot, knowing that people would look at me like I was crazy. I parked my car and stepped out. It felt weird. For some reason, it just wasn’t weird to walk around my neighborhood barefoot. I do the same at home home, so I guess it felt normal because I was at home. But I felt weird about it none the less.

I got to the bus stop, where the bus driver was waiting for me. Other people had boarded the bus, so she was clearly waiting for just me. I wasn’t sure what the policy for riding the bus was, whether or not I had to wear shoes. Either the bus driver didn’t notice, or there’s no policy about it.

I got stares. I mostly tried to ignore it. I was, admitedly, self-conscious, not knowing what people would think. As I rode the bus, I looked for others who weren’t wearing shoes. I didn’t see any on the bus, and where I was sitting, it was hard to see people off the bus. I’ll admit, I tried a little to hide my feet and make people think I was wearing flip-flops [which is kind of funny to me, because I never wear flip-flops. I always wear Chacos]. But, anyway…I texted my friend Walter, who I have mythology with, and asked him if he was on campus, and whether or not he was wearing shoes. I knew that if I was with someone I knew, whether or not they were wearing shoes, I would feel less self-conscious about not wearing any shoes. He texted me back and told me where he was and that he was not wearing shoes.

I got off the bus to go meet Walter still feeling self-conscious about my lack of footwear. I saw one other person who wasn’t wearing shoes, and I started to relax a little. When I got in the SLC, I saw one other person without shoes, but no Walter. So I went on to class.

After class, Walter and I headed to Wesley. We walked to the bus stop, got on a bus, rode it two stops, and got off. We then walked to Wesley. Up until this point, my feet hadn’t hurt much. We were walking at a pretty fast pace. You see, Walter is taller than me. My dad is also pretty tall, so when my brother and sister and I were younger, we learned to keep up with him [my dad]. So, I thought nothing of keeping up with Walter’s pace. Normally, not an issue. Without shoes though, it’s much harder. Today was a warm day, so of course, the side walk was pretty hot and the pavement was even hotter. We were waiting to cross the street, and we were standing on the pavement. Ouch.

The whole walk from the bus stop to Wesley, all I could think was “Wow…this sucks for those kids who don’t have shoes.” Once we got to Wesley, there were plenty more people who were barefoot. When I first got on campus, and I hadn’t seen too many people who were barefoot, I was worried. I wasn’t sure if people just thought it would be crazy to not wear shoes, if they didn’t care, or if they didn’t know that today was the day.

Once we got to Wesley, we met up with our friend Jake. From Wesley, Jake, Walter and I went to the phone store so Walter could get his phone looked at. As we were walking in, Jake said “They’re going to think we’re a bunch of hippies”. This time, I wasn’t worried what people would think, I was more curious. Clearly it’s not normal for people to walk into stores in America not wearing shoes. I was also curious to see how the staff would react, and if they would ask us to put on shoes or not. They didn’t. So we didn’t. As we were walking in, Jake said “They’re going to think we’re a bunch of hippies”

Walter left his phone there and then we went to get food. We knew we had to put shoes on for this, so we did.

That’s pretty much the end of my day, so far, without shoes. My feet are sore, I have blisters on the bottom of my feet, and, before I washed them, my feet were dirty with who knows what.

All that being said, it was a very good day. I’ve realized just how blessed I am to be able to afford, not one, not two, not even three, but I don’t even know how many pairs of shoes. Not only do I have multiple pairs of shoes, but I have good shoes. Good sturdy shoes that I could walk miles in. I own three pairs of sandals that run from $75-$90.

I am very proud of this fact. I love that I wear Chacos, and I’ll admit it, it’s a source of pride for me. Although I don’t put a lot of thought into footwear, when I do think about it, I think of my Chacos. I have three pair, and all I can think about is buying more. What the heck is wrong with me? Here I am, in America, sitting on tons of shoes, and all I can think about is buying more. Meanwhile, 40% of the world doesn’t have shoes. Some children have to walk miles, barefoot, for food and water. Some of them aren’t allowed to go to school barefoot, but they can’t afford shoes. People get crippling diseases, that are 100% preventable, just because they don’t have shoes. And here I am, planning on buying my fourth pair of [very] non-essential sandals.

I’m so blessed, not only to be able to afford good shoes, but to be able to afford them at all. It’s one of those things that you just take for granted. People don’t even think about it when they get dressed in the morning. It’s normal for people to have shoes. It’s not normal for them not to. But in other countries, it’s normal for people not to have shoes.

There are a few fictional characters out there [and probably some real ones too], who say that a pair of shoes can change your life. Well, they’re right. But not the way they think they are. Imagine the difference that it would make to walk a mile wearing shoes instead of barefoot. Imagine being able to attend school, or preventing a disease. Shoes really can change a life.

The next pair of shoes that I buy will not be Chacos, or some other shoe. It’s going to be a pair of TOMS.

So change a life. Buy TOMS Shoes. For each pair of shoes you buy, TOMS donates a pair to child in need. Yes, they are expensive. But remember, you’re not buying just one pair of shoes; you’re buying two. And you’re not just buying shoes. You’re changing a life.

• Fact #1: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.
• Fact #2: Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
• Fact #3: Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
• Fact #4: In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
• Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.