barefoot gardening

gardening and barefooting go very well together and, in a way, gardening with shoes on has become a sort of sacrilege for me.  it was nearly four years ago that i pretty much stopped wearing shoes.  i wear shoes when we go into town or when i'm doing some kind of work at home that puts my little piggies in peril but the rest of the time i'm running around unshod regardless of the weather or season.
it's amazing how much information the bare foot has to offer.  when stuck in a shoe each step feels pretty much like the one before it.  the variety of sensations i get when barefoot keep things interesting---it keeps me aware, keeps me focused.  going from grass to gravel to leaf litter generates a lot of signals flowing from the feet to the brain and back and it's hard not to be fully engaged.  there is a sort of mindfulness that automatically develops from the awareness of the sensations coming from the feet.  not only have i become more aware of what my feet are sensing but i'm more aware and more careful of where i'm putting my feet.  when wearing shoes i've noticed a tendency to walk around somewhat carelessly because my feet are protected and because i can't really feel where i'm stepping.  i think that the physical carelessness that comes with wearing shoes breeds carelessness in other areas of how i function---wearing shoes changes how i think about things and i become less sensitive in general.  it's an odd shift but very definite and not one that i like much.

as a gardener it's good to know about things like soil moisture, compaction, texture and temperature---when i'm barefoot i'm constantly in tune with what the soil is doing without having to consciously check---it's pretty neat.

and walking around with naked feet just feels good. 

mostly...

found a goat head