Barefoot in the Woods

We have been walking in the woods barefoot for about two weeks, with occasional neighborhood walks thrown in. We have had a few unexpected bonuses while on our hikes in the woods, which we greatly prefer to the neighborhood walks.

First, walking in the woods is about being in the moment. We spend so much time trying to not hurt our feet that we think of little else. We don’t think of getting to the end of the walk, what we have to do before bed or what we have to do the next day. We just try to avoid the rocks!

Second, we have some great talks. Today our discussion strongly focused on what is cool to our seven year old boy, Colson. He thinks dark sunglasses and a baseball cap worn backwards are cool. And you have to strike a certain pose when you lean on a tree. If you wear a business suit and polish your shoes, you are just regular. If you are a girl who passes secret notes, you are uncool. This type of one-sided conversation goes on and on, and because we are spending so much time trying to not hurt ourselves, we can listen all night. Colson can talk all night because he has the super strong feet and is not even remotely bothered by all of the rocks on the trail.

Third, it is amazing to feel so much of the earth that Ryan and I haven’t felt since we were little kids. We feel every pine needle, twig, rock, and stretch of sand. This is really, really cool by our grown-up definition. It is soothing to take these walks, slow down and reconnect. As an added bonus, we saw the tiniest snake tonight. If we were wearing shoes we would have probably missed it. I am so thankful that we have discovered our forest sanctuary a few nights a week. To think it used to be a place that we rushed into for a dose of nature, only to rush home again!

Finally, our feet are getting stronger. Every time we go we make it further into the woods. Tonight we walked about a half hour. My ankles have stopped hurting, thank goodness, and I can even run now. In a few more weeks I am going to try some barefoot interval training runs on the soccer field.