Here's a bit of an obscure question for you: When was the last time you truly went barefoot with a purpose?

Walking without shoes is not something that most of do until the moment presents itself, like when we encounter a sand beach or a bed of cool green grass on a warm summer day.

But taking some time to go barefoot is actually said to be a great thing to do all the time, or at least a lot more often than you're probably doing it now.

So why is that?

Well, you see, when we go barefoot and make contact with a surface that isn't manmade (like a sidewalk or a paved road), we reconnect our body and spirit to the Earth.

Now I know this might sound like an abstract notion to some of you, but believe me, I've tried this for an extended period of time and I can assure you, it's true!

For a brief while in my life a few years ago, I lived on the beach beside the Gulf of Mexico. And after being there for a few months, I began walking the white sand beach that was right next to my condo every day with the intent of simply making contact with the Earth.

It was certainly a nice sensation when I first started doing this, but admittedly I didn't necessarily feel that much more connected to the Earth.

But after about two or three weeks of doing this consistently, I started to notice a change.

The morning sun seemed warmer and more inviting when it would rise, and the evening sun would provide an equally-warm feeling of gratitude when it would set.

The songs of little brown sparrows in the parking lot of the supermarket or the local mall not only no longer went unacknowledged, but were fully appreciated and filled my heart with joy.

Trees seemed greener, flowers more brilliant, and every breath of air I took into my lungs harbored an attachment to these life-giving organisms.

I'm telling ya, it really did pay off in such an incredible way!

Sadly, since returning to Washington, I have lost touch with the Earth in this way, but I fully intend to start anew. And there's plenty of ways to do that around North Central Washington just the same. In fact, you can practice going barefoot upon the Earth almost anywhere.

Yes, it's true we don't have a white sand beach that's miles long in our backyard, and being an apartment dweller might seem to make even a patch of grass or dirt difficult to come by. But we've got plenty of great parks where both are available and there's a lot of other places here, there, and in between where one can make this happen as well.

So why don't you give it a try? You've really got nothing to lose you know?

Alright, so get out there and get those shoes off already, and remember to stick with it. I promise you, after a few weeks of reaching out with your footsies and saying hello to Mother Earth, she'll feel ya and start returning the favor in the most miraculous of ways ;-)

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