Stone under foot...

[Ronald Zeeman]

I do now on left foot very sensitive due to stroke.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I used to love going barefoot. A combination of foot injuries and weakening ankles and I now need more support.

 

[Au Naturel]

I always liked walking barefoot whenever I could.
Always barefooted as a kid when possible.

Then I trained for walking barefoot through a large public park as part of martial
arts. Really, learn to feel the grasshopper- Kung Fu, (or snake or glass), before you step on it. It's walking lightly and learning to feel the electro-magnetic energy field
of living and inanimate objects. I know, that's Zen and the arts philosophy, but it always worked.
I could walk hot sidewalks, on snow/ice, seaside sand is wonderful.

The only time I did something stupid, like the guy who ran barefoot @Au Naturel ,
was when I decided to play a game of tennis barefoot.
It didn't hurt at the time, but by the next day the souls of my feet were so swollen
and sore I had to wrap them in gauze and just sit and lay around for a few days.

I've seen people who can walk around barefoot in Africa open land.
Probably places like Australia too, @Outdated.
It takes growing up doing it naturally IMO.

I miss being able to go barefoot when I want now due to neuropathy.
It is a not-funny thing how neuropathy is numb nerves, yet, barefoot you feel the tiniest little thing and it hurts.
So, it's flip-flops and sandals. Closest thing to barefoot now.

You're right about that. People who grow up without shoes develop ruggedized feet, as well as a very high level of awareness of where their feet are going. It takes many years.

It is easier to start out barefoot as a child. Initially, there are only 20 lbs of weight on the feet and it very slowly increases until you have adult weight. Those toughened feet are still no match for nails and glass. They weren't part of the evolutionary forces acting on us.

At some point, primitive peoples usually develop sandals and moccasins. You also need boots if you are going to venture into cold regions. There is a limit to how much cold a foot can adapt to.

 

[Au Naturel]

I wear flip flops or water shoes at the beach because of broken glass, tar balls, jellyfish and some kind of weird sand worms that tunnel inside the soles of feet. The beach worms are well known on beaches in the Caribbean and along the Gulf of Mexico.

Wikipedia:

"a parasitic disease caused by nematodes, or roundworms, in the genus Strongyloides. The parasites enter the body through exposed skin, such as bare feet. Strongyloides is most common in tropical or subtropical climates."

Not nearly as common as it used to be. Still a thing in poorer areas.

Athlete's foot is another issue you can get from barefooting in communal areas. Fortunately, that's easily dealt with.

 

[SusanLR]

I wear flip flops or water shoes at the beach because of broken glass, tar balls, jellyfish and some kind of weird sand worms that tunnel inside the soles of feet. The beach worms are well known on beaches in the Caribbean and along the Gulf of Mexico.

What part of the Gulf of Mexico are the worms on?
I've lived in central Florida for over 40 years by the Gulf.
Never heard about them or had them in feet. Just curious.

 

[Mary Terry]

@SusanLR - It's a gross thing. The hookworm larvae can live in sand on any tropical or subtropical beach, including Florida. The larvae are deposited when dogs and cats defecate on the beach. Humans then walk barefoot or lie on the sand in those areas, running the risk of getting a worm infestation.

I never heard of them when I was growing up and spent a lot of time on Florida beaches but I've subsequently read that they can be present on US warm water beaches. My first knowledge was from a news story about a Canadian couple whose feet were infected while vacationing in the Dominican Republic. I've seen pamphlets in hotel rooms and resorts in the Caribbean warning visitors of the risk.

If you see dog or cat poop on the beach, better wear shoes there! Good luck finding a public beach that bans dogs or enforces a ban against dog owners.

 

[Au Naturel]

What part of the Gulf of Mexico are the worms on?
I've lived in central Florida for over 40 years by the Gulf.
Never heard about them or had them in feet. Just curious.

I knew about them growing up. Was warned not to go barefoot in parks where dogs are allowed. (That was 60 years ago.) You can catch them from the poop of an infected critter - including people. In the US it is really rare nowadays. In poorer areas and in undeveloped countries they are more common. I have never known anyone who caught it personally. OTOH, most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms.

People who don't clean up their dog's poop are scum and villains. In the field, you bury it. In civilization, you bag it.

 

[SusanLR]

@Au Naturel and @Mary Terry Thanks for responding, guys.
I remember getting those when I was five yrs. old and lived with my grandmother
on her farm.
Lots of cats and dogs were running around loose there.
Had to get medicine from the doctor. They can be nasty.