I Walk to Work Barefoot

I walk to work barefoot

Why? .

Why not?

Why do you not walk to work?

Why not choose a home

near enough to where

you work and play

to walk?

Why do you wear shoes?

Why,

when we have smooth sidewalks and soft grass

do you put plastic on your feet?

Why don’t you want to feel the earth –

the dust from which you came?

I’ve learned a lot walking to work barefoot

How being eccentric can actually make you more approachable

Which leads to meeting that grandma

who’s agreed to provide daycare for her youngest grandchildren

but only until she says a harsh word to them

because she wants the best for them

And that couple from Holland

who not only raised two children of their own

but invited in five girls pregnant with fatherless little ones

to live until they got their feet back under them

I think I know why we’re afraid to walk to work barefoot

We want to protect ourselves

We wear shoes and go from house to car to office to car to house

to avoid feeling

what might be uncomfortable

We strive to maintain a sense of control

to avoid dirty feet

or losing track of time chatting with a neighbor

But what’s so bad about a little mud and conversation?

***

From the book my heart poured out by Jordan Aspen