One Day Without Shoes

Tuesday April 5, 2011

Today was the most anticipated event for those of us who are TOMS fans. This whole thing started with a guy going to Argentina and seeing how many kids didn't have shoes. So he started the TOMS One for One movement, where every time someone purchases a pair of TOMS shoes, a pair of shoes is given to a child in need. It's great, I love it. And, p.s. if someone out there ever wants to bless me, randomly or for whatever occasion, a pair of TOMS would be the way to go. Seriously.

So today is the day we didn't wear shoes to raise awareness about the reality that this is a child's daily life. Many kids in other countries don't own shoes and have to deal with it for lack of resources. There were many times that my feet ached to the point of tears. I wanted to grab my flip flops from my backpack and slip them on, but was reminded that most of the kids we're remembering today don't have that option, so I sucked it up. I also thought that instead of just participating in this event, I would do something that would have a lasting impact, so I prayed continually for kids in other countries that would be walking to school for miles barefoot (sorry to disappoint those who thought I was going to say something like, "I purchased one thousand pairs of shoes to give away" or "I donated a couple of hundred bucks to the cause"…maybe someday). It was heartbreaking to think that what I take for granted and almost see as a collection is something so foreign to many children around the world.

I must say, this was harder than I thought. The covered walkways are made of pure pebbles-something I had never taken interest in noticing before- and some of the grass had thorns so I had to walk really slowly and carefully…in other words, pure torture for my feet. As I took 2 steps per minute on the foot execution road, I observed everyone's shoes. I cowardly hoped for even the thinnest soles to be under my feet and almost regretted my decision to walk barefoot for half a day. What a pansy.

I remember running barefoot outside as a kid and can't remember when I became so anal (for lack of a better word) about wearing shoes. I realized today that I have hated being barefoot for a long time. However, it felt marvelous to let loose and not wear shoes today. (I vow to do this more often.) I got plenty of stares and it was great. The best moment was when I walked into the library. As I walked in, a guy was heading out. His pen fell right in front of me as he passed by, so I picked it up for him. I gave it to him and smiled, nonchalantly, and he exclaimed, "Your shoes are…gone!" And nonchalant me said, "Yea, I'm not wearing any today. It's Day Without Shoes today." Like in a "yea, no big…I'm a badass" kind of way. haha

It was also sad to see that not a lot of people participated. I'm not even sure why I expected to see a lot of people barefoot; it seems the TOMS movement hasn't quite hit our school yet. There was a small group of us, so it was fun to share the experience with them.

I had to wear shoes for work though, and I found that my cheap Old Navy flip flops never felt so good.