Great & positive BBC News report on a barefooter from Sheffield (UK). Good on her http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-16217453
And she's running her own business... I wonder, if she's currently hiring - that would be an occasion to get a barefoot office job. And it would be perfectly OK to show up to the job interview barefoot, too. Wiggling bare toes, ~*Ganesha*~
«A numb toe is a dumb toe» deserves to be made a law of bf'ing together with «watch your step»... this brit woman is really awesome. i still can't get comfy with the concept of fake footwear though.
Good stuff but getting the social involved cos her kids were also barefoot shows we still have some way to go. I must admit that I occasionallly get anxious too if my girls discard their footwear and some jumped-up busybody sticks their oar in. Touch wood it hasn't happened yet. I'm sure Solemum and our other kiwi friends don't get this crap in NZ
Shit no! Our Child Youth and Family are way too busy dealing with our appalling domestic violence and child abuse caseload to be worried about barefoot children. Must admit my initail thoughts when reading this news article was fantastic, she doing a neat job, but then on reflection I thought, isn't it sad that an article has to be written about her at all - almost as if she's seen as some sort of circus freak, when her lifestyle is perfectly natural and good. I wonder if these sort of articles just reinforce the belief that she is seen as doing something 'alternative' and a bit 'wacky' so we'd better get a reporter to her house quick! Try it in NZ and you could fill a book with articles like this, but then people would possibly say, hang on a second, what I chose to do here is perfectly natural, dont make an issue out of it. I think I personally would be reluctant to be interviewed and photographed about my barefoot lifestyle.:love: Just a thought and perhaps an alternative view.....
Indeed, it's strange that in Europe people generally agree upon the health benefits of walking barefoot, yet people doing it are occasionally presented in newspapers or featured in short TV reports - mostly when barefooters are doing it in relatively cold weather or are otherwise standing out from the rest of the mainstream by their personality or choice of outfit. It happened to me, too, when I met a local newspaper reporter by chance on a cool Sunday afternoon in February 2011, who was intrigued by my defiance of cold... she asked, whether I would do a little interview and have a few pictures taken, too. Recently, I received an e-mail from a TV magazine editor, who asked whether I was interested in appearing in a little report on winter barefooting on German national TV - she had read that interview in the local paper's online edition. But, she made clear, that they would only contact me, if there's snow lying around, and I would walk barefoot through snow, too - and here's indeed the circus freak aspect showing its face. I guess, some people like to read about the barefoot freaks to convince and reassure themselves of their own normality... Wiggling bare toes, ~*Ganesha*~
Yes I had simillar thoughts on reading it...good for her and I felt encouraged to know there are like-minded people in UK. But then yes, why is it news-worthy at all? Has an element of "look at this stupid freaky woman" behind it. My advice to Ganesha would be to resist any temptation to appear in an article...it's bound to be written in the same vein and with the same motivation behind it.
Well, the interview in the local paper was more of an FAQ about my reasons for barefooting, and therefore not of the "look at the circus freak" sort... Here's a translation, which I made and put up on my barefoot diary page: Andreas Spring walks barefoot, even now, in winter. The former inhabitant of an alternative trailer commune wears shoes at the office only. by Annette Lehmann In case you encounter a heavy-built man in the Raffelbergpark under the barren trees of winter on some weekend, its most likely Andreas Spring. There were times when the now 44-year-old man lived completely and constantly barefoot. The thermometer reads 4.5°C, paths and lawns are soggy and muddy - why aren't you wearing shoes? Andreas Spring: for wellness and health reasons. I feel better this way, plus, it takes strain off my joints. For how long have you been doing this? I've been doing this for about twenty years from spring to fall, and also in winter for about ten years now. I have found, that I can do it, when wearing warm clothing. What are your limits? In sub-freezing weather I wear shoes, especially in wet conditions. When it's dry, I have been and am barefoot in slight frost, though. When was the last time you had a cold? Catching a really bad cold is a thing of the past, really. Walking barefoot has a certain effect of inurement, so I've found. When others are struck down by a flu, the worst I get is the sniffles, a head cold, that is. And when was the last time you stepped on something like a wasp or glass shards? I haven't in a long time. More often, I stub my toe on the rear wheel of a shopping cart. Do people step on your toes often? No. Most people see them and are careful enough. Even in crowds? Like, for instance at concerts or festivals? I tend to visit barefoot-friendly events, such as open-air concerts and goa/psytrance parties. Do you walk around differently, when being barefoot? Yes, definitely. I always look a few meters ahead on my path in order to evade broken glass or the notorious pile of dog poo in the way. Futhermore, one develops a different walking technique: when barefoot, I don't step down heel first, but place the whole foot down and then push forward, rolling off to the toes. You wear nail polish and silver rings on your toes - that is an eyecatcher. Do you use special care on your feet? Occasionally, I file down the callous on the sides, to prevent cracks, which might be painful. When it's cold, I apply bag balm to my feet - that protects against the cold and also has a moisturizing effect. At which occasions do you wear shoes, if at all? Every day at work. I am working for almost ten year in a call center now, currently as a team manager, responsible for personnel planning, for instance. There is a certain dress code in effect - not the suit-and tie sort, but still normal clothing and shoes are called for, and that's what I wear then, too. On the way to and back home from work I walk barefoot, and also use public transport that way. How did you show up for the job interview? I wore open sandals. That wasn't a problem back then, since I was still living in a alternative communal trailer park, known as "Bauwagenplatz" back then, and my employer knew what kind of flamboyant person he was going to hire. And he was and is okay with it. In 2001, you appeared in the press a few times as spokesperson for the "Bauwagenplatz" at the Ruhrorter Strasse and also sued against the eviction - in the end to no avail. How did it go on from there? I already had the job at my current employer back then, and moved into a regular apartment in Speldorf - with tap water, heating and electricity. But the three-and-a-half years I lived in that communal settlement is a time I wouldn't want to have missed. We tried a form of alternative living and it was a time when I was walking and living barefoot constantly. Nowadays, I have to limit that to my free time. The article in its original German print version can be seen here (I scanned the newspaper, and also put it into my barefoot diary). The headline "Ein Mann, der anders auftritt" is a nice German wordplay, since "auftreten" means both to tread and to make an entrance on stage. Wiggling bare toes, ~*Ganesha*~
I took the liberty of Googling Ms Marshall and was surprised to see that this was the third such article about her barefoot existence. Not bad for a woman who's only been doing it for two years. Now if only the media could get around to acknowledging Myranya and Boogabaah for their barefoot exploits. Also, like many of the other members who responded to this thread I thought it was pathetic that someone would call the dept. of social services over the concern that she along with her children might be a beggar. The last time I checked England wasn't a third world country.
