Breaking Pavement: Bare Feet and Learning Connections

I now have a monthly column at Enjoy Life Unschooling called Breaking Pavement! 

The first installment, entitled Bare Feet and Learning Connections, came out today:

Today, as I walked with my sister and a friend, I was thinking a lot about this column. What to write, what to write… The sun was getting steadily lower, but there was still a fair bit of light, birds singing, and the scent of smoke in the air. My shoes, even though I was only wearing flip-flops, felt like they were trapping my feet, so I slipped them off and spent the rest of our long and meandering walk in bare feet.

Ahh, the relief! The joy!

smooth
rough
sharp
hard
soft
prickly;
The world passes by underneath my feet.

When I finally came back inside, soles thoroughly blackened and sun mostly gone, I felt a bit of a letdown. Still no inspiration for what to write. But then I started thinking about walking in bare feet. Thinking about how hardened my feet used to be, and how soft they are now that I’ve been wearing shoes so often. I miss walking in bare feet. So I’ve been determined to go barefoot more often! I like it. It feels good.

And I started thinking about why I like going barefoot. What about this no shoes thing makes me so happy? I realized that what it really is, the connection. With shoes, I’m putting yet one more barrier between me and the world around me. Without them, I feel more connected to the dirt-grass-gravel-pavement-mud.

Connection is so important.

To continue reading, head on over here!

Peace,
Idzie