I am barefoot alot, various places, but I dont recall anyone talking about certain things our feet might come into contact with. Like has anyone ever stepped on a bug? Got stung by a bee/wasp, in the foot. Have you ever accidently stepped in ..well dog poop? What do you think of going barefoot in public restrooms? Have you ever stepped on a lit cigarette?
I’m sure I have. It’s bound to happen if you go barefoot all the time. If I stepped on something that stuck to the bottom of my foot, I’d just scuff it off on the ground or pavement and keep going. As to being stung, yes, I got stung once by some kind of bee or insect when I stepped on it while hiking. It only hurt for a minute or two, then it was OK. No, I don’t recall ever. But if I did, I’d sure rather be barefoot than wearing shoes. With shoes, you may never realize you’ve stepped in it until you track it all over the place, like in your home or your car. If you’re barefoot, you would immediately know you stepped in something and could wash it off right away. It’s really no big deal. Nothing in there could actually harm you just by being there barefoot and stepping in something. There is of course a "yuck" factor, and I usually try to avoid obvious urine, feces, or some other weird stuff that might be on the floor. I prefer not to step in anything that looks wet. But sometimes it’s unavoidable, and when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Besides, people walk into those places with shoes on all the time, then walk everywhere else with those same shoes, including into their homes. And they touch those same shoes without even thinking about where they’ve been. At least bare feet get washed regularly. Not shoes. Yes. It only stings for a second or two. Doesn’t do any permanent damage at all.
Once, as a teenager, before I regularly went barefoot. I only went barefoot in the yard at the time. The bee died Actually it did hurt at the moment it happened but it went away very quickly and about an hour later I couldn't tell where exactly it happened... now I don't have much problems with bees, wasps and hornets and all anyways, it's mosquito's that give me nasty bumps... usually on my ankles and on top of my foot (or just about anywhere really). Couple times, sorta nasty but it's easy to wipe/wash off, easier than what I remember from wearing shoes. Got it on canvas shoes, suede boots, and in the deep cracks of sneakers-with-traction soles way back when I still wore those things (yes, all three... there used to be a *lot* of dog poop in the neighborhood when I was a kid and played outside... they've cracked down a bit on it since and also since I am not a kid anymore I don't usually walk/run in the grassy areas as much anymore, but getting it on my shoe used to be a sorta regular thing), and that was much harder to get rid of! We have discussed this not too long ago in one of the other threads. They're definitely not the cleanest places, but I'd rather walk barefoot in them than put on footwear just for them, and then take that (soiled) footwear off (using my hands) and putting it in my bag (where I keep other stuff, like my lunch). Also the door handle is of a greater concern than the floor. Once, it stung hot for a moment but no actual damage. I even hit it with a relatively sensitive part of the sole, right behind my little toe where the skin is a little thinner, not with the thicker pads that always touch the ground. So I'm not worried about cig butts anymore; if it doesn't do any damage there it wouldn't cause a burn anywhere.
I walked barefoot in the student garden at work the other day. It was awesome to feel the mushy dirt between my toes. I got bitten by an ant though and had put my shoes back on to mow grass around the garden.
I've certainly been stung by a bee - avoid walking on clover patches! I quite often step on snails, I get out of the car in the dark and crunch - the sound and texture tells you what it is. I've stepped in dog poop a couple of times, I wouldn't do it on purpose but hey it washes off and its a lot easier than getting it off your shoes. I don't mind restrooms, I do watch where I'm walking but certainly step in urine all the time, it's unavoidable. I used to to grind out cigarettes butts with my bare feet. It doesn't hurt if you use the ball of your foot and doesn't leave a mark. I've given up smoking now so don't do it anymore!
I live in Florida, barefoot far more often than not, and I rarely step in anything objectionable. I don't feel it is absolutely necessary to avoid being barefoot in a public restroom, although I will often put on flipflops to do so, depending on where it is and whether I expect it to be filthy or not. I stepped on a bee barefoot lonnnnng ago when I was a little kid, in my parents' back yard. That hurts a LOT when you're a kid: I bet it wouldn't hurt me so much nowadays. My biggest problem nowadays is that in Florida, a lot of grassy fields have these things called sand burrs (I think that's what they're called). They're these little spiky roundish things that have microscopic barbs on them. When you step on them, you are guaranteed to have them stick into your foot. They hide in the grass, so you can't see or avoid them. When you try to pull them out, very often the barbs will then stick to your finger! And often, the tip of the barb that was in your foot will break off, and it will still be bothering you later that night or the next day, and you have to sort of scrape it out with a knife or razor. (I've gotten pretty good at that, but it helps that I have quality, sharp pocket knives.) Dog doo? I can't remember stepping in that in years. The other night, I was hanging laundry on the line outside my house, and it had rained that day, and lots of snails come out around here when it rains. I stepped on one, crushed its poor little shell. That has happened to me before; when I know snails are out, I try like heck to spare them. I always feel sad when I step on one. -Jeffrey
Urine, I was thankful to learn, leaves the body sterile. I guess nothing can live in that kind of chemical environment. It's, like, ammonia or something that kills germs. (I never heard for sure if viruses cannot be present in urine. That would be interesting to know.) Congratulations on beating the cigarettes, dude! -Jeffrey
Same here, I try to avoid snails and such more because I don't like killing them than that I care about the slimy feel. I hate stepping on living creatures.
I'm a closet barefooter and foot fetish guy. I've never stepped in anything nasty, because when you're barefoot, you pay attention to where you step. I have, however, stepped on a lit cigarette at Myrtle Beach a few years ago while playing pool. It wasn't so bad. The skin was tough enough to stamp it out pretty quick. I love the feeling of walking over various surfaces, but it gives me such a sexual charge, I almost ALWAYS do that alone. I live in rural Appalachia with lots of natural gas well roads and strip mining coal roads. Sometimes on Sundays I wade the mudholes and smoke. N
Once you get used to walking barefoot, you watch where you are walking less and less. I hit dog shit a few times and like everyone else that has I say it is so much easier to clean off your feet than your shoes. I got bit by a bee a couple of years ago it just stings for a little while. I was walking back to the car after a fireworks show which I went to barefoot someone dropped a lit cigarette right in front of me and I just missed it luckily. Had it been daytime I probably wouldnt have seen the glow of the cigarette and stepped on it. As far as being barefoot in public restrooms ive never been but I would go in one if I had to.
I'm alawyas going bare foot.... i never really step on any bus.. but i;m sure it will happen soon.. my feet have been pritty fine tho.. we go hiking through the forest in our bare feet and never get anything bad.. sept some Dirty feet but bahh i love the outdoors! why am i still on the computer?
These things happen. Feet are so much easier to clean than shoes. It really isn't a problem, and it's far less objectionable than hot sweaty smelly feet that attract all sorts of micro-organisms.
While marching along barefoot recently, yours truly stepped in dogshit for the third time in his life. Fortunately, it washed right off. If that's the worst thing that happens to me while exploring the great outdoors barefoot, then I'm doing ok. I was housesitting for my parents during the month of June for two weeks and needless to say, I managed to get the odd visit from an ant or two. Thats when I would take advantage of my big toes and squash the little critters. Four years ago I managed to get stung on two different occasions by yellow jackets that managed to invade one of the bedrooms at my parents house. I think I can honestly say that that was more painful then any splinter of glass glass I have ever stepped on Last night while waiting for the train to return home from a night out on the town, yours truly decided to break out the old jumprope and give it a few twirls on the train platform. Needless to say, one look at my soles afterward and I could tell my workout was worthwhile. I had the blackest soles I've had in a long time Cheers!
yeah, yellow jackets are mean tempered critters, just look at em wrong and they'll come affter you in mass and their sting HURTS like the dickens. bee's are pretty even tempered and don't bother me unless I mess with them or step on them, even then the sting doesn't hurt as bad as yellow jackets. Yellow Jackets could be having a bad day and you walk by and BAM, the attack for no reason. Bee's help pollinate flowers and honey bee's make umm well honey, what do yellow jacket do beside sting the shit out of you ?
I've gotten stung a few times while barefoot. No, thankfully never stepped in doggy doo. I used to smoke, and I knew my soles were tough for the summer when I could stub out a cigarette on the ball of my foot without "quickly putting it out". I recently put out a friend's smoke ( he just flicked it lit ), so I'm good for this summer ;-)