Barefoot

I am not a person prone to going outdoors with bare feet.  For me, even sandals are a bit of a stretch.  I do have a pair of sandal-ish shoes that I like wearing.  These shoes expose much of my feet but they cover my toes.  Because of this, I have concluded that my issue with sandals and going barefoot is really all about the toes.  To test this, I imagined wearing a pair of regular running shoes that had the top removed on the end, exposing my toes.  Yep, I imagine I would be uncomfortable in such footwear.

Now, I do sometimes step outside in bare feet.  In particular, I like the way sidewalks and concrete driveways feel on my soles; the cool of it in mid-morning as the air around it warms up; the warmth of it in the evening as coolness of night moves in.  Of course, the concrete has to be swept clean, for my usually clad feet are as delicate as a flower.  The tiniest pebble can send me reeling.  It's one of the reasons I don't particularly like walking in grass, you never know what sticks or rocks may be lurking unseen between the blades.

On Saturday, I stepped outside barefoot.  The car was parked in the driveway.  It rained a lot last week and due to a disconnected sunroof drain line, a fair amount of water had found its way to the floor of the car.  After reconnecting the errant hose, I decided the amount of water merited removal by Shop-Vac.  Evaporation alone would not do.

Normally, at this point, I would put some shoes on.  After all, the Shop-Vac involves traipsing about in the garage, plugging in electrical cords and dragging hoses, all sorts of opportunities to step on something.  And there was a voice in my head saying "We should put some shoes on, they're right inside the door!"  But it was a beautiful day and the driveway felt so good on my feet.  The garage floor was extra smooth and cooler.  The sensations were just too good to pass up.  So, with great care, I lugged the Shop-Vac out to the car and ran an extension cord back to the garage.  I daintily stepped around the lawn mower to reach an open outlet socket.  Then I pranced (yes pranced) back out to the car, being mindful not to step on the cord I had just connected.

I crouched outside the car and set to work sucking up as much water as I could.  The water was concentrated on the driver's side both in the front and back.  I finished up the front first.  This was the wettest area and I felt a certain satisfaction listening to the vacuum slurping.  Once the slurping ceased, I turned my attention to the back.  I was enjoying myself.  I was focused.  So much so that I never noticed the bee.  Not until it stung the bottom of my foot.  Then I really noticed it.

That's what I get for straying from my shoes.