About "Grounded"

With this blog, I hope to share level-headed information, stories and advice on the benefits of going barefoot. My goal is to break down the negative stigmas and myths related to baring our feet and show that it truly is comfortable, safe, healthy, hygienic and even legal.

What's more, I want my readers to see that I'm a normal guy who just likes to keep my shoes off. It's not about foot fetishes. It's not about being a "hippie" -- and there's a lot of others who feel the same way.

I want to "re-humanize" feet and help people understand that our feet are just as important as our hearts, lungs, hands, eyes, ears or any other part of the body. Too often people treat feet as "second-class" body parts, relegated to being stuck inside footwear for the majority of their lives because of twisted social norms or in the name of "fashion."

This blog is called "Barefoot and Grounded" as the result of my very first blog post in the spring of 2009. I realized that, when it comes to going barefoot, being "grounded" can take on several applicable meanings. In some cases...

"Grounded" is at a Stand-Still

When an airplane is grounded, it's not flying. It's not moving. It's not getting where it needs to go. Oftentimes I feel like the acceptance of barefooters is like this. We want to move forward. We want to "take off" and be able to go unshod where we want to go, yet others often hold us back and keep us from taking that journey.

"Grounded" is in Trouble

When a teen messes up and their parents get angry, that teen gets "grounded." They are disallowed from doing what they like to do as a punishment for undesirable behavior. In many ways the barefoot movement feels this way. While we barefooters may want to bare our soles while out and about, we're disallowed from doing so because it's undesirable behavior.

"Grounded" is Electrically Diffused

Electrical outlets that are properly configured are connected to a common "ground." This allows for lightning strikes and other power surges to electrically diffuse into the earth and cause less harm. There quite a bit of evidence that walking barefoot on the earth has the same electrical attributes and can lead to better health. I'm no scientist, but these claims seem very plausible.

"Grounded" is Level-Headed

Sometimes we refer to people as grounded when they seem to "get it." They know who they are, they know how the world works, and they make wise decisions about their lives. In so many ways it makes so much sense to go barefoot. I strive to stay level-headed when it comes to the subject of bare feet and the benefits of keeping our shoes off.

I welcome you to read through this blog with an open mind. Reconsider everything you think you "know" about feet. You might just rediscover the simple joys and benefits of going barefoot.

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net