The Calm that Comes with the Familiar

There are days that Izzy and I jump in the car and head for a forest preserve to do our daily walk together, but most days, we take advantage of the sidewalks in our own neighborhood.  In fact, I have found that if I take Izzy somewhere new or different, she doesn't seem settled until we have walked around our own neighborhood.  Perhaps for Izzy and me, the familiar brings a certain amount of calm.  For me, I don't have to think too hard on where I am going and can instead let my thoughts flow in and out.  I find that I am constantly learning new things about my neighborhood of close to 500 homes.  Who is moving?  Who has a teenager graduating?  Ooohhh....new outdoor furniture.  Nice.  Lately, I have been focusing on what plants my neighbors are having success with and figuring out what I want for my own yard.  I enjoy seeing friendly faces in the morning that greet me with a smile and I even get a kick out of figuring out ways to avoid those few who don't.  Izzy seems to have her own needs of the familiar. At six years old, she has finally stopped trying to herd every bicyclist in the neighborhood and we both know which dogs are of no interest to her and which ones she would like to tear apart.  Her favorite thing though is peeing in the same spots each day.

Recently, my son couldn't sleep and ended up taking a very early morning walk.  Out of curiosity, I asked which paths he took.  He shared how he left our neighborhood and visited the one next to ours.  He mentioned a path he found that connected our two neighborhoods together.  What?  I have walked this neighborhood daily for the last six years.  How could I miss this path?  Whenever I have decided to extend my walk to the next neighborhood, I have always taken the long way around, thinking there had to be a quicker/easier way.

Yesterday I decided to do a little exploring.  Although I feel like I have walked every street in our neighborhood, I never walk the cul-de-sacs.  This must be where the mystery path was hidden.  The first two did not expose any hidden paths.  Then as I approached the third one I could see a path.  I couldn't see from a distance where it lead, but it was a path.  It was like a shining light came down on this path.  I had found the right place.  I felt relief.  Izzy and I headed down the path and found it lead to a dead end. Disappointed, we headed back to the main path.  The fourth cul-de-sac did not unveil any hidden paths.  On the way home, I felt a conflict in my head going on.  Did I want to continue the search the next day or was I content to continue following the path I have been to the next neighborhood?

My walks with Izzy always provide me with time to think and reflect.  Yesterday's walking experience allowed me to reflect on my health.  Lately I have found myself feeling the need to revamp my overall health plan. Currently, I am following the familiar path of taking medications for my rheumatoid arthritis, but it doesn't always feel right to me. When I chose to go back on medications, it was with the understanding that I would take them as long as I felt comfortable with that decision. I can't say I am completely uncomfortable taking them right now, but definitely starting to think of how to change things up a bit.  Medications are often like my walks through our neighborhood, I don't have to think too hard about what I am doing which does create a certain amount of calm.  It also allows me time to rest my brain from so many years of experimenting with alternative treatments while also looking around at what others are doing to see what fits my lifestyle. This time with the familiar has allowed me to do a little research into some things I would like to try in the future.

The basic belief system I had when I started this blog in 2008 hasn't changed.  I still believe the body wants to heal.  In many ways my body has healed, but not to a point I can easily go off the medications yet.  Like my walk yesterday, I haven't found the path that my body needs to get me to the next place, but this time on medications is allowing me to explore while not feeling pain.  Since my rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, I have definitely discovered many paths to wellness, but something is still missing.  My body still has lot of room to heal, but I need to keep searching for the path that is perfect for my individual body.  The one thing I have accepted while chasing each of these different paths is that what I am looking for may not come easily or with a lot of guidance.  There will be many dead ends. That is why it is so important to continue to be patient, open minded, and most of all continue to nourish myself both physically and mentally.  With time, the path that is perfect for my body will be discovered.  For now, I will continue to enjoy the calm that comes with the familiar.          

Review of Ugg's Adirondack

As many of my RA friends know, our feet can take a beating.  Finding the perfect pair of shoes is no easy task.  Trying them on in the store and finding comfort in no way guarantees that same comfort after walking in a pair of shoes for more than fifteen minutes.

I am on my feet a lot.  I walk every morning with my dog and I stand for hours at a time teaching classes.  Finding a pair of shoes that work with my individual feet is crucial since the way my feet feel often determines how my knee, hips, and back may also feel. 

Late fall/early winter I began an all out search for the perfect boot.  I needed something that could withstand the snow and salt of a Chicago winter, keep my feet snuggly warm, and not create pain.  After many, many returned orders to Zappos, I finally found a boot that I am happy to call my own - Ugg Adirondacks.

 

The Adirondack II is a premium cold weather boot. The leather and sheepskin upper combine to provide you with protection while the genuine sheepskin and eVent™ lining inside give you comfort and warmth. - Zappos (my favorite place to buy and return shoes because they make shopping easy and they carry small sizes.)

I know for many with rheumatoid arthritis, a supportive shoe is best for their feet.  I haven't found that to be the case for me.  In fact, the brands I tried that worked for others killed my feet almost instantly. This boot does offer a wide toe which I have found to be mandatory in my shoe selections, but it doesn't offer a lot of support. It feels more like wearing a heavy slipper.  The surprise I had with these boots is that even on the worst of this mild Chicago winter, I didn't need to wear socks. The inside of the boots are completely lined in sheepskin! In the past I would wear a couple of pairs of socks on my morning walk in an attempt to keep my feet warm (it didn't help) and the results were that I felt the circulation was being cut off in my foot.  With the Adirondack, I never wore socks and not once came home with cold toes.  Cold fingers, yes, but NEVER cold feet.  I have worn them all winter as my shoe of choice for morning walks and to work and they have proved to be a good friend.  My only complaint is my feet would sometimes get too warm when I was teaching.  But pain in the balls of my feet and into my toes, never!!!!

With an early spring this year, I have had to move away from my Uggs and back into my Vibram Five Fingers.  Although I love my Uggs, there is a certain freedom to being back in these minimalist shoes.

  Plus, I have purchased two new pairs of minimalist shoes for this spring and summer that I will do reviews on soon:

Ozark Sandals 

Sanuk's  Donna

And of course I will be spending a lot of my nonworking hours barefoot, my number one choice.

Why I Walk Everyday

Stomach Fat to the Rescue

This morning I woke up and thought, "Oh poop, this extra layer of holiday stomach fat didn't disappear overnight as I hoped."  Oh well, what can I expect when I continue to eat additional holiday foods after the holidays?

Rather than reflecting too long on my stomach, I headed out for my morning walk with Izzy.  I was determined not to let the low temperatures of the morning stop me from walking my usual 40-45 minutes.  Several times on my walk my fingers became super cold and I knew I either had to head back home fast or I had to once again use my stomach to warm up my hands.  I chose my stomach.  Oh boy was I glad to feel that extra layer of fat as my cold hands slipped into my shirt.  Thank you stomach and all your beautiful layers of fat.  You instantly warmed up my hands and I was able to enjoy another beautiful morning walk with snow flakes falling all around me! 

Minimalist Shoe Experience will Continue

Last year for Christmas I received my first pair of Vibram Five Fingers.  When I opened them I was both excited and scared.  I was excited to implement all I had read about minimalist shoes and barefoot walking but also afraid that my my rheumatoid feet wouldn't be able to handle these expensive shoes that offered no support. 

As this photo shows my minimalist shoe/barefoot walking experiment was a success.  In less than one year I wore a hole in my first Vibram Five Fingers KSO Treks.  At first I was disappointed that they wore out so quickly, but my husband reminded me that I also put a lot of miles on them in a short time.  (Yay for 2011 being a great year for my joints!)

Thanks to my generous husband Steve I received my second pair of Vibram KSO Trek's for Christmas this year.  I won't be able to wear them for many months due to the cold temperatures, but my feet are looking forward to spring already.

In the meantime, here is the new pair of winter boots I bought.  Thanks to Zappos I was able to order multiple pairs of boots and send them back free of shipping charges!

Each boot I returned either caused my toes to hurt or my foot to go numb.  Finally I found a pair that seems to meet my unique needs: my feet and ankles don't go numb, my toes don't hurt, there is plenty of toe room, they are waterproof, and they are very warm. (Temperatures in Chicago haven't been extreme yet but hopefully they will hold up to the challenge.) 

I am now the proud owner of my first pair of UGGS.  Although these boots don't allow for the freedom I have in my VFFs,  I felt attracted to them one day when my daughter's friend was visiting.  I saw her UGGs sitting by the door after I had just returned yet another set of boots.  I had a strong desire to put my foot into her boot.  (Shhhh.....please don't tell.)  They felt so warm and cozy I knew I had to find a pair for myself.  Mine of course are more outdoorsy and not quite as stylish but they are exactly what I need for my long winter walks with Izzy. 

Here's to 2012 being a year of less foot pain and lots and lots of walking outdoors!    

A Rainy Walk

This morning Weather.com said it was 41 degrees F outside at 6:00AM when I headed out for my walk.  Temps like this are warm enough for my Vibram Five Fingers.  However, when I looked out the window it was sprinkling.  About 3/4 of a mile into my walk, the sprinkles turned into full rain.  I was so glad I chose my waterproof Thinsulated Merrell boots rather than my VFF this morning.  (Shhhh....don't tell my VFF I said that!)

Warm Enough for VFF

The temperature outside is up today from 10 a few days ago to 35 this morning.  Sorry insulated winter boots, but today's walk was with my Vibram Five Fingers.  Ah, they feel so good!

Vibram Five Fingers at Work

Yesterday morning I planned to wear my Vibram Five Fingers while driving to class and then change into my Dansko clogs before heading into the building.  But when I got to school, I couldn't make the change.  My feet have been so sore lately that I just couldn't bring myself to put on shoes that I knew were going to create more pain when I didn't really need to.  So, I kept the VFFs on and made my way to my classroom.

At first it appeared that nobody noticed my brown ape like feet gloves.  Then, in the middle of presenting a lesson I heard, "Teacher, I LOVE your shoes."  Of course, all 20 sets of eyes moved down to my feet.  I blushed.  One student immediately recognized how comfortable they must feel and wanted to know where she could buy a pair for herself.  Another student said, "Teacher, I thought you forgot to put your shoes on today." 

I admitted that I was a little embarrassed wearing my VFF to school and shared how the pain in my feet has been pretty extreme lately and these shoes were about the only thing I could wear for a long period of time.  My students were very sympathic, "Teacher, don't worry."

Now that the initial embarrassment of everyone recognizing my "weird" shoes is over, I will not hesitate to wear them to this class the rest of this semester. (Too bad I can't wear them to all my classes.) My feet are just happier in them. 

*I mentioned that my right VFF has a hole in it that can't be repaired.  It is getting worse, but for now I taped the inside of the shoe with duct tape and it seems to be doing the trick.  Also, according to Weather.com, the last few mornings it has "felt like" 25 F outside when I head out for my walk.  I have been surprised that my feet are handling the cold in these very light shoes.  When I get home, my feet are about as cold as my hands with gloves, which have also improved.  Not bad.  My Raynaud's syndrome has definitely improved over the last few years.  Perhaps this improvement comes from diet, contrast showers, or possibly from the medications.  Whatever it is, I like it!!!!

Foot Pain Blame: Rheumatoid Arthritis or Shoes?

Rheumatoid arthritis gets blamed for a lot of my aches and pains and although I know that it plays a huge part in this recent round of foot pain, I have decided to give RA a break from the constant blame and instead put the blame of my foot pain on my SHOES.  To read more, visit my contributing post at MyRaCentral.

Vibram Five Fingers VS Merrell Barefoot Shoe

Throughout the summer months I was mostly barefoot or wearing my Vibram Five Fingers.  The results of wearing little to no shoes have been amazing.  My feet not only look stronger but my not so cute hammertoes actually look as if they are straightening out.  (This observation came unsolicited from my husband and I totally agree.)  The greatest result - little to no pain in my feet, ankles, and legs over the summer months.

Along comes September and I am out of shorts and back to business casual clothing.  This also means I am back to wearing shoes.  My feet aren't happy.  In fact, they have been protesting loudly.  When I slip my feet into my supportive Dansko sandals or clogs, my toes begin to scream within the first hour.  I can feel my hammertoes trying to curl up even more than they are already.  I feel bad for the little things.  I try to give them as much relief as possible by wearing sandals rather than the clogs so that they can wiggle around throughout the day, but they still aren't happy.  

I decided last week to break down and buy another pair of shoes.  Although I most likely won't be able to get away with wearing my Vibram Five Fingers to work, I might be able to get away with wearing Merrell's Mary Jane barefoot shoe to work.  My son Alexander owns a pair of the Merrell barefoot shoes and really likes them.  I felt hopeful.

I ordered the shoes and wore them out the first day feeling optimistic.  My daughter was happy that I was out of the VFF when we went shopping as they are a little embarrassing to her.  They felt light weight like the VFF and I could right away tell that my hips and knees were going to like them.  However, after shopping with Sophia, I got into the car and immediately took the shoes off.  I couldn't keep them on my feet one more minute.  My toes hurt and the rest of my foot felt numb.  I had such hope that these minimalist shoes would feel as good on my feet as my VFF, but in the end, the results were the same as with my supportive Danskos.  So, they are being returned.  

By the way, I took my VFF to a shoe repair store and they can't fix the hole.   I am sad but determined to keep wearing them until they can't be worn any longer. 

Early Morning Walks

Mondays and Wednesdays are a little crazy for me.  I am up by 5am to work out with my husband, out the door to walk with Izzy by 6am, on my way to teach a four hour class by 8am, home again by 1:15pm generally to run a few errands with the kids and make dinner before heading out to teach a five hour evening class.  I get home around 10:30pm.  It is a long day.

With so much going on Mondays and Wednesdays my daily walk with Izzy means I need to be out the door before the sun comes up.  Now that the temperatures are dropping, I am always reluctant to make this walk.  The thought of starting out my day walking in the cold on a dark morning doesn't seem too appealing.  Yet, I do it.

The amazing thing is every Monday and Wednesday, I love this walk once I get outside the door.  At first it takes me a little time to adjust my eyes to the dark.  Our neighborhood does not have street lights so I depend on the light from neighbors who still have working yard lamps or who leave their porch lights on all night.  A big portion of my walk with Izzy is through the commons area where there is no light and here I rely on the light of the moon and my ability to read Izzy.  On these dark mornings I must pay attention to her movements because I know she is more aware of what is ahead of us than me.
   

As we continue our walk my eyes adjust to the dark and I become more aware of my surroundings.  I pay attention to things I normally don't notice on walks during daylight.  I find myself feeling a little nervous on my walk because we don't know what might be ahead, yet excited by that very thought.  

As we continue on our walk, we see the beginnings of light shining through the trees. 

We come home from our walk and I feel happy that I had this time in nature while everything was still and quiet.  It is a nice way to start a crazy day full of activity.  I am always so thankful for my beautiful border collie and her need to get outside of the house often and explore the neighborhood.  Without her, I would be missing much from this wonderful world. 







While I hurry off to work, my sweet Izzy jumps back into bed and gets to go back to sleep.  Lucky girl!

*I save my pictures one direction and they show up on here another direction.  Please just turn your laptop sideways to view pictures. 

A Sad Day for My VFF and Me

As the cooler temperatures arrive in the Chicago area, my mind is beginning to come to terms with the fact that my days outside with my VFF are limited.  At about 35 degrees in the morning, my feet are still hanging on without freezing, thanks to the wool Inijini toe socks I recently bought.  But, I know my days are limited and soon I will be back to my winter boots.  It makes me sad. 

Speaking of sad, my heart shrank a size one morning a few weeks back when I saw this:
 

What happened to my VFF sole?  I emailed Vibram and after waiting many days for a response back learned the shoes are not under warranty but I might possibly be able to repair the shoe.  I emailed them back for ideas on how to repair the shoe, but still have not heard back from them.  Guess what is now going on my Christmas list? 

What to do? What to do?

My barefoot experiment this year has been fun and very rewarding.  I have discovered that when my feet are free to move, they feel better.  Without shoes I am often wiggling my toes throughout the day rather than keeping them confined in a shoe all day without any movement.  On rare occasions lately that I have worn socks and shoes I noticed that my toes are stiff when I take them off, as if they forgot in one short day how to move.  I spend some time retraining them but then experience shooting pain throughout the night.

My barefoot experiment has shown me that I need to be able to allow my feet to have as much movement as possible.  Since I can't go barefoot at work and doubt my VFF will be approved for work, I decided several months ago that the next best thing would be to wear my sandals as often as possible, perhaps even changing into them at work on really cold days.  That way I can keep my toes moving the 9-10 hours I spend on my feet teaching some days. 

Well, my brilliant idea was challenged late last week when we received an email from our new manager (I work at schools and this is the newer school I teach at which I don't like so well) that open toed shoes are not permitted because they are not "professional".  Unlike many women, I have a limited number of shoes.  I buy well made shoes that are expensive but buy very few of them.  I have a pair of Dansko sandals that are open toed, two pairs of Ecco sandals that are open toed, Dansko clogs, Merrell snow boots that look like tennis shoes, and my Vibram Five Fingers.  My choices are pretty limited.  Throughout the winter I wear my Dansko clogs everyday but found that last winter the socks and shoe mixture wasn't working and I often sat down so that I could slip my feet out of my shoes and try to wiggle my toes a little bit. 

I have only taken one day off work due to rheumatoid arthritis in the last eight years and that was when I tried sulfasalzine and realized I have an allergy to sulfa.  I was covered in a rash from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet along with a fever and headache.  Otherwise, I have always made it into work despite how awful I may have felt.  I never wanted RA to be an excuse I used.........until yesterday. 

Yesterday I called my rheumatologist and asked for a note stating that I can wear open toe sandals.  The nurse said she would check on it and within ten minutes called back and said they were mailing the note right away.  All the sudden I felt guilty.  I felt like I was taking advantage of the situation with my illness.  I wondered if I was making the right choice.  My other employer has been very accepting of my diagnosis, but I have never shared my diagnosis with this employer because I haven't needed to since I have felt pretty good since working there but also because I don't trust this employer.  The overall feeling there is negative from the way they treat their employees to the way they treat the students.  So, I now have a dilemma.  Do I give my doctor's note to my employer and open myself up to them knowing about my rheumatoid arthritis or do I suck up my new idea and wear socks and shoes despite how they make my toes feel?         

Barefoot Art

This morning was too gorgeous to walk in shoes.  Once again, nature chose to cling onto me. 

Vibram Five Finger Foot Art

One of the fun things about wearing Vibram Five Fingers is that little pieces of nature like to join me on walks. 

Barefoot Walking: My Feet Agree with the Changes

When I officially started my barefoot walking adventures in April, I wondered if my feet would start to look rough and unattractive with time. I have known some folks who naturally go barefoot a lot and I wasn't sure I wanted my feet to look like their feet. Great news! My feet aren't unattractive. In fact, I find myself looking at my feet a lot and admiring the small changes they are making.

Since I have been wearing my Five Fingers or going completely barefoot on my longs walks, at home, and even when driving, the corns on my toes have calmed down and even seem to be going away. Can this be possible? Yes, it is!

The bottoms of my feet are getting tough. However, that doesn't mean they look dry and unhealthy. I think diet plays a big part in dry feet. I eat a lot of good fats and Omega 3's which may help in keeping my feet from drying out even as they are in the beginning stages of growing a thicker bottom. Also, after washing them, I give them a little massage in coconut oil. (I do of course have to stay away from my border collie Izzy for a while, otherwise she wants to lick all of the coconut oil off my feet, even though I always give her some for waiting patiently while I massage it into my feet.)

My feet are getting strong. I don't know why I didn't expect this consequence of walking barefoot, but it is true. I can noticably tell that my feet are getting stronger and just like when the rest of your body gets stronger from working out, they look more attractive. (My pretty red toe polish helps too of course!)

Although this doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the attractiveness of my feet, I do like listening to my body and I feel that barefoot walking helps me to listen to my body in new ways. When I slip my Five Fingers off during a walk, I notice that I turn my right foot in a bit towards the side of my big toe. The side of that big toe is actually hardening up more so than the rest of my foot. I know I am turning it in because of the two toes on that foot that hurt. I am not sure if it is rheumatoid arthritis related or not since it hurts differently than pain I have experienced in my feet in the past. These two toes tingle and a sharp pain shoots through the toes. It almost feels like the pain is stemming from some inflammation in my ankle, so maybe it is related to RA. I have no idea. The tingling pain started over the winter months when I was wearing boots and clogs. It hasn't improved with going barefoot so I really need to have it checked out. But my point is that by barefoot walking, I am more aware of how my feet are being used and I like that.

I keep finding many advantages to going barefoot besides attractive feet developing and the ability to continue listening to my body in new ways. I also like the freedom of walking out of the house without shoes and socks. I like feeling the grass between my toes and I like walking through water puddles. I like being aware of the temperature of the day under my feet. I like my body being able to connect with the earth through my feet. Barefoot walking just feels right to me and the small changes my feet are making tells me that my feet agree.

Barefoot Walking: Treating My Feet Like I Do My Hands

As you can tell from many of my recent posts, I am a little obsessed with barefoot/Five Fingers walking.  Yesterday for the first time I made it completely barefoot for my entire walk with Izzy which is just a little short of two miles.  I had my Vibram Five Fingers with me, ready to put them on whenever my feet gave any indication they were ready for them, but they never did.  They seemed quite content being naked.  However, when I got home and washed them, I realized they were a little beaten up and there was a slight burning feeling. 

What occurred to me as I checked out my feet is that we have very different expectations for our feet than we do hands.  Every spring when my kids were younger, their hands would get torn up as we headed to the park for the first time in the season and they hung from the monkey bars.  I would always say, "Yep, it takes time to toughen them up."  I never discouraged them to stop hanging from the bars because their hands might get hurt.  Whenever my husband takes a break from playing guitar, his fingers also get a little sore and cut up.  He always says, "It takes a little time to callous them over."  When I work in the yard, (which is rare) I often end up with cuts on my hands because I feel I do better work without gloves.  We don't seem to worry too much about our hands because we know they will be fine.  We are used to them going through this process of getting hurt.  We are used to them getting paper cuts, knife cuts in the kitchen, stubbed, and even dirty.  But when it comes to our feet, we treat them like royalty.  We are afraid of any little cut, except those that come with wearing new shoes of course.  I have seen parents that react to kids without shoes on as if they are about to run out in front of a moving car.  We are constantly worried about keeping them clean and for many people, there is a total aversion to seeing bare feet. (One of my students takes his flip flops off as soon as he sits down.  He always looks so comfortable.  It makes me envious.)

Today I started off in my Vibram Five Fingers rather than putting them on when my feet were ready just to make sure I didn't harm my precious feet. About half way through the walk I took them off as my feet were hollering to be free!  When I got home, they were of course dirty (although not as dirty as I would have imagined) and I washed them.  Other than that, they are completely fine!  They don't burn today and the torn skin doesn't seem to have increased at all.  In fact, the bottoms of my feet seem a little tougher.  The body, every part of it, really is amazing when we give it a chance to show its strength.

"Good-bye" Worries of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Welcome Summer!

Summer, it is almost here. There are so many things I love about summer. I love lying in the sun for hours. I love the carefree feeling of wearing shorts, sundresses, and sandals and finally packing away the layers of clothes I have worn for too many months. I love the "vacation" attitude people seem to adopt during the summer months. Everything just feels easier and freer.


Unfortunately, summer also brings a feeling of trepidation. In the past, warm weather has meant my once swollen knee would be exposed. It meant getting into the pool with my kids would be a struggle as my joints found each step into the pool to be painful or just not a possibility. In the past it meant once my feet hit the cool water, they would tense up. Summer in the past also was a reminder of the things I wasn't able to easily do any more such as long bike rides with my family, hikes, plopping down in the sand, exploring, and much more. To read more, visit my contributing post at MyRACentral.  

Hiking In Vibram Five Fingers

Although I have said "I love my Vibram Five Fingers" before, I really mean it now. After hiking in them on Friday through mud, water, and rocks I have a totally new appreciation for them.  As I hung onto a dog that was much faster than me and didn't hesitate pulling me down steep inclines, I found that the grip on these shoes is awesome. I felt my toes at work gripping the ground and slowing me down. My ankles felt free to move with my feet which is such a different experience than when wearing tennis shoes.  Walking through water was wonderful. Generally with shoes the water stays with you squishing around for a while, but not so with the Vibrams. It was just like walking through water barefoot, although I think the shoes kept my feet a little warmer. I did walk through a few mud puddles which I haven't done in years and that heavy feeling of shoes sinking down into the mud wasn't there either. These shoes are super light.  One of the best things was when I got home I was able to throw the shoes into the wash and today they are good as new!

It was so fun to squish my feet into the mud.

Alexander wanted to explore this sandy area and I followed right behind him without any problems.  



My ankles moved with ease as we climbed over tree trunks.



When I saw how much fun Izzy was having in the water, I had to splash around a bit myself.   

Before jumping into the car, I washed my legs of dirt and grime and did a quick dry.

Barefoot Walking

The more I barefoot walk, the more I love it!  Each morning for the last few weeks I have started out my walk in my Vibram Five Fingers and then each day I take them off a little further from home.  Today I did more than half of my two mile walk with Izzy completely barefoot. 

A few things I have noticed about barefoot walking:

• I find my feet craving to touch the earth as I walk and let them decide now when to remove my Vibrams, which have become easier and quicker to put on with more wear. 
• I like walking on the hard sidewalks and then finding soft, cool grass to step into. 
•  My feet are getting tougher and aren't as bothered by little pebbles. 
•  I notice more about the nature around me.  I now know which tree leaves want to stick to my feet and which don't. 
•  I am more aware of trees that drop many seeds. 
•  I notice that when I walk on hills and need to bend my ankles, they freely move with my foot which is so different than when wearing shoes. 
• I feel light and free when I am without shoes.  I feel less stress on my hips and knees.
• When I go without shoes for most of the weekend, my feet seem pleased.  The tingling in my toes and shooting pain disappears over the weekend and returns on Monday when I walk in my shoes for hours. 

When I got home today I gave my feet a warm foot bath.  It felt fantastic!