One short day

Adventuring rule #8: Go for the fullest experience.

     On the evening of April 5, my feet were filthy. Nearly black with dirt. I was worried I'd leave a trail on the carpet of my apartment. My feet were tired and they hurt, and I think a tiny rock was jammed between my toes.

     I had gone the whole day without any shoes. From riding my bike to campus to walking across the pebbled quad between classes, my bare feet felt every step.  My soles were alternately burning on pavement or icy on indoor tiles. One professor asked for an impromptu presentation, while a friend asked if I had forgotten something while looking distastefully at my dirty, exposed toes.

     It wasn't much fun. People looked at me funny. I avoided public restrooms and taking out the garbage for fear of germs. I have about a dozen pairs of shoes in my closet, so why hadn't I worn them to protect and comfort my feet?


      It was the annual international One Day Without Shoes, promoted by TOMS shoes. This is a company that, for every pair of shoes they sell, donates a pair of shoes to a child in need, mostly in third world countries.

     In some places, children can't attend school without shoes, or have to walk a very long distance to get to town or school and find it difficult because they are barefooted. There's also a disease that is picked up through the feet by walking barefoot in volcanic soil, an unavoidable feature in some landscapes. The disease can be fatal, but it's also completely preventable, just by wearing shoes and washing feet regularly.

     For TOMS day of awareness, the company asks that people around the world take some time to live their normal lives without shoes and note the differences.

 A history of the company

     While I normally don't endorse companies or promote their products for them, this was different. I wasn't trying to sell shoes, I was trying to walk in a different pair or rather, no shoes at all.  Just to see what it was like, and to understand the parts of my life that I take for granted.

     My parents have never had to choose between providing food or clothing for their children. I've never been banned from school for not having the proper uniform. I hope that I never have to experience that for my nonexistent future children. But I can gain a little perspective by leaving my shoes at home.

     A sorority on campus promoted TOMS' Day Without Shoes as well, by tabling outdoors, having music and balloons and walking around the quad barefoot with matching shirts.

     Their intention was good, but they missed the point of the adventure. A blue plastic track was laid on the ground for them to walk on, and many of the girls wearing the "One day without shoes" shirts were, in fact, wearing shoes. I tried not to comment or make faces as I sailed past on my beach cruiser, but I was definitely judging a few of those women.

     When I got ready to leave my house on the next day, I pawed through a box in my closet filled to the brim with shoes. I could have chosen any pair of sandals or boots or sneakers. Instead, I slipped on my TOMS. They're dirty. There's a small hole in the toe and the heel of the right shoe, and the liner is worn in the left. But they fit, and they protect my feet, and they remind me every time my gaze falls to the ends of my legs of how fortunate I am.