Getting to my vegetable, which does not grown at my home, seems to be a challenge for me. Sometimes the thoughts of uncontrollable weeds overtakes me as I am driving home from work..Wanting to restrict my gasoline use, I stop at the garden en route to my house. When I get there I find myself not dressed for gardening, particularly my foot! Not wanting to ruin my very expensive new sandals I decided to pull weeds in my bare feet. What a liberation this has been. The red dirt has become such a menace to my white socks, sneakers, car mats and the rest of my feet touching world.
After my joyous barefoot discovery I stumble upon this article. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!
This has been taken from the Organic Gardening magazine, Vol.58:5 Aug/Sept 2011
Written by Maria Rodale
Barefoot in the Garden
"Ethne Clarke asked what kind of boots I wear for gardening? Boots? What boots? My favorite thing is gardening in bare feet. The soles of my calloused feet directly connect my soul to the warm, wet, textured earth...it's like a whole new sixth sense of summer experienced through my toes, like prehensile antennae and a profound sensual pleasure.
It all started when I was a kid growing up on 20th-century America's first organic farm. When summer came, my mom would let us out in the morning and then beep the car horn at night when it was time to come home for dinner. Did I wear shoes? No way. I didn't eve wear a shirt till I was 8 or 9. I could measure the progression of summer by how much easier it got to run over the sun baked macadam pavement or gravel drive. The first week was always hard, but by the end of summer nothing could stop me!
When I studied permaculture with Bill Mollison many years ago, I was fascinated by his feet. He rarely wore shoes (or if he had to, a pair of cheap flip-flops), and as a result, the calluses on the bottoms of his feet looked to be about 2 inches thick. Now that's something to be proud of!
Unfortunately, with my job and such, I can't get close to wearing that sort of casual footwear, but home I love to see my feet get so dirty that even scrubbing doesn't get the dirt off. And here is why: It grounds me. The energy of the whole planet flows through my body like a radio current that harmonizes with my soul. But it's practical too. Through my feet, I can tell if the soil is good or not, and how much water is needs, or if the grass is healthy. I can even tell if it's organic or not! Even the stones have messages- about temperature or time of day.
Some people walk on fire to test their faith and their bodies. I look at gardening barefoot in the same way. It's amazing what we can do when we overcome our fear, when we walk carefully, watching each step and feeling the universe through our soles. At first, our feet might be too sensitive. But it's like exercise. We build our strength and resilience over time and with use. Yes, there are some risks (the occasional step on a bee, a rose thorn, or- worst of all!-a slug!), but those risks remind us that nature has a voice, too. We can't just run roughshod over her without consequences. Barefoot gardening builds trust- in nature, in ourselves, and in our gardens.
But it feels good too!"- Maria Rodale
Go ahead- leave your shoes behind and live!- Lenelle
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