Life with Dee

Creating a beautiful life...

  • Start Here
    • Welcome!
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Home & Garden
    • Homemaking
      • Cleaning
      • Domestic Dee-va
      • The FlyLady Method
    • Gardening
    • Country Living
    • Frugal & Green
      • Green Living
    • Productivity and Time Management
    • Organization
  • Dee’s Kitchen
    • Menu Monday
    • Recipes
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • Instant Pot
      • Vegetarian
      • Guest Posts
      • Pinterest Recipe Review
      • In My Kitchen
        • Grocery Hauls
      • Tea
  • French Inspiration
    • French Friday
  • LWD Book Club

Barefoot hippie…

April 5, 2011 By Deanna Piercy 2 Comments

Today I’m not wearing shoes.  No, not even my beloved Birkenstocks.  Why?  Because today is TOMS “One Day Without Shoes” awareness campaign.  Have you thought about the millions of children in developing countries who must walk barefoot for miles to school, clean water and medical care?  One of the things that I first noticed when watching a friend’s slide show of photos from Haiti was that almost no one had shoes.

I loved going barefoot as a kid growing up in the California desert.  My grandfather called me “Barefoot Sally”.  But I had a choice.  I could put on a pair of shoes if it was cold and of course I had shoes for school and church and anytime we weren’t at home.  These days I don’t go barefoot often, even in the house.  I developed some foot problems which are exacerbated by going without shoes so even indoors I nearly always wear my Birkenstocks.

But not today.  Not after watching this:

No, today I’m barefoot.  And while I don’t have to walk miles or even  have to go to town today, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been tempted to put on shoes.  The biggest challenge was walking all the way out to our chicken coop to let them out this morning.  Not only was it only 43 degrees at the time, walking inside the coop to collect eggs was, well, a little gross.  I also realized with just the first few steps that the bottoms of my feet are not as tough as they must have been when I was a kid walking barefoot back and forth to my grandparents’ house.  Ouch.  And even indoors on clean, carpeted floors I have thought about shoes.  It’s been a little chilly in the house because we had turned off our heater a few days ago and I’ve been tempted to at least put on some socks.  However, I figure that kids who don’t have shoes probably don’t get to wear socks very often, either.

So what have I learned today?  I was reminded of the importance of something we take for granted.  I am going to go through my shoes and donate the extras (I’ll have David and Chris do the same).  And the next time I need a pair of shoes, I will consider buying from TOMS because for every pair you purchase, they will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Click here to learn more.

And here is today’s kitty photo:

There’s always one in every group.

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter) Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: barefoot, Birkenstocks, kittens, shoes, TOMS

« Menu Plan Monday ~ April 4, 2011
Guest post – Caramel Blended Iced Coffee »

Comments

  1. Cherie says

    April 10, 2011 at 1:49 pm

    I'm sorry I missed this opportunity to blog about living conditions in other countries. Of course, I love to go barefoot, but only when it's warm. For this reason, I used to wonder why the worry about people in tropical climates not having shoes. However, I have since learned that many third world nations have problems with parasites that enter the body through the feet, thus the need for shoes for protection.

    I've heard a lot about Tom's shoes and need to keep the company in mind for future purchases.

    Reply
  2. Deanna Piercy says

    April 13, 2011 at 1:06 pm

    My son posted something about "going barefoot for a day and battling hookworms for a month" on Facebook so apparently he got the connection about parasites. But you're right, we just don't think about all the ramifications of not having shoes. I've never bought any TOMS shoes but I looked at their website the other day and saw some possibilities. I need a pair of wedge sandals this summer and they have some cute ones.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!
profile picture

I’m Dee, a Francophile with a hippie heart, trying to create a beautiful life in the country while dreaming of Paris.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
menu graphic

LWD Book Club ~ May 2025

LWD Book Club May 2025

Art Appreciation May 2025

Art Appreciation May graphic

Vintage Menu Plans

Vintage Menu Plans graphic

A month-by-month selection of vintage menu plans

FAVORITE POSTS

LWD Favorite!

Simple Abundance book cover

Goodreads Challenge

image

Copyright © 2025 · Life With Dee