Family Bucket List Series. Vol. 1. Issue 7

Bare Feet Shoes
I’m taking a break from my day-by-day travelogue to talk about my shoes. Yes, you read that correctly – my shoes.

I first saw shoes like these on a guy at Robek’s the smoothie shop my kids love. They looked like the toe-socks I used to wear when I was a kid, only with rubber soles.

I embarrassed my sons (an every day occurrence in their lives) by striking up a conversation with this fellow I had never met before. I just had to know about these funky shoes. He told me they were made for people who wish to do barefoot running. But that they were so comfortable, he likes to wear them all of the time.

I had no interest in barefoot running unless I was on a sandy beach. However, I had to investigate these shoes further. I did a search on the internet to find out where I might find a pair to try on. I located City Sports in Bethesda, MD—a store that carries them and made my way over there. They were a little pricey for something I wasn’t really sure I needed (okay, rephrase that: for something I knew I didn’t need).

Nevertheless, I tried on every model they had, and read the little brochures with info about these ingenious, unique footwear. The promotional brochure listed activities for which the shoes are made. Lo and behold, one of the activities listed was canyoneering. I had just finished planning our first bucket list trip. We were going to be spending our entire family vacation exploring one canyon after another. Canyoneering? There was my justification. I needed these shoes.

They look goofy, you say? Who cares? They are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. Better than other sneakers and running shoes. They’ve proved perfect for the hiking and climbing I’ve done all week! Once I get back home, I plan to wear them to walk the dog, go to the gym, and just around the house.