Disney World barefoot

At Disney World today it rained like crazy just as we got there, so I spent the vast majority of the day barefoot. This was, how should I put this? Effing awesome.

The surfaces I walked on were a veritable treasure trove of textures and temperatures -- cobblestones, smooth polished chipseal, wood, rubber, glass, exposed aggregate concrete... it was a feast for the soles, and it was warm and soaking wet to boot, so I got so splash in puddles. There was extra super bad ass bonus magic in this trip to the Magic Kingdom.

The place is immaculate, so I had zero fear of stepping on anything. There's an army of smiling, theme-dressed people with brooms and dust pans keeping any significant debris from collecting. More about them later.

I was the ONLY person barefoot, which mystified me at the time. God, it was so NICE. Especially given the rainy conditions, why didn't it occur to a single other human soul there (and there were a sh1t load) to whip off their shoes and enjoy the rain? I'm baffled, still. What a powerful force social mores must be about "needing" to wear shoes. The only time I put them on was in the bathrooms and restaurant.

About those sweeper people or, "cast members," I was told once, by a friendly older lady in Frontierland that she was very sorry, but had to ask me to please put my shoes back on for safety reasons. I just shrugged and whipped out my flip flops until she was out of sight, at which time I whipped them right back off. What safety reasons? So I don't step on something dangerous? Isn't that your job, anyway? Maybe so someone doesn't step on my toes, or I don't stub a toe and sue them. What a stupidly litigious society we live in. Anyway.

I was also taking mental notes on the route of the Disney Princess Half, though I'd never in a million years put in writing that I'm wanting to run that race. Or anything like that.

This was kind of a first for me. I'm didn't get into barefoot running intending to become obsessed with my feet (and other people's feet too, I will not lie) or a weird eccentric. I may be turning into one or the other, and if that's the case, then so be it.

Comments

Nice, Gkikas! We had a downpour here at Six Flags last summer, and like you, I walked around all day through the rain there without any shoes on. I couldn't wear them anyway, since I have MN. No one said a word to me.The textures felt great, as you mentioned. It is such a shame that we think so poorly of our feet. We don't get to enjoy our surroundings as much because of it. Hide them because they're nasty. Hide them because they're ugly. Hide them because they're vulgar. People are so brainwashed. It's sad.
 

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