Back in the good old days, things were different. At least that's what I've always been told.
My mind can travel back to a time when my grandpa was but a small boy, living out the hot summer days in the small town of Abilene. Most of his childhood memories were probably centered around the sun glistening off the windshield of a dilapidated vintage Chevy pickup sitting in a half-vacant wrecker field, or perhaps the smell of a freshly caught bluegill after a long, lazy day of lakeside fishing. You see, my grandpa grew up in a simpler time. A time when a dog was a man's best friend and no one had ever head the name "Kardashian" except for the actual Kardashians. The great outdoors were the only thing available to entertain my grandpa, and it was more than sufficient. Yes, even without modern conveniences, I imagine that my grandpa still had some pretty amazing summers.
Think of it! Spending a day with no smartphones, an afternoon without YouTube, a morning without reading my blog (great Scott!!), or lunchtime without fidget spinners!
It seemed that his family had missed out on growing the elusive Money Tree and would save their money to buy things that would be significant and important. Like food. Even the simplest things that you and I barely think about were considered an expensive buy. A particularly pertinent example would be found in a nice, clean, crisp pair of shoes. They could cost upwards towards $4 or even $6, if they were a really nice pair! My grandpa's family knew that a good pair of shoes were important, but opted to save up their money to give him a new pair of shoes in the winter. In the meanwhile, summertime was experienced with bare feet.
Like I said, I imagine my grandpa had some pretty amazing summers. In fact, a lot of young boys and girls back then probably had very epic summers, even without shoes. That's the best way to connect with nature--without the barrier between the good old fashioned dirt and you.
I think it would be much too hard to try and declare a technology-free day to try and bring back those wonderfully simplistic olden days, but maybe we can get in touch with those times another way, the shoe-less way.
I, Mark Wimberley, hereby declare the third week of June as Barefoot Week.
Let's start off this summer, and every summer, celebrating the bygone days when all the little boys and girls weren't trapped by technology and were free to have the best summers with the wind in their hair and the clean dirt under their feet, when the little boy would guard his home with his trusty dog and slingshot, when the little girl would splash in the creek bed and hop from rock to rock.
It's not too late for you and I to enjoy summer! Everyday this week, let us, therefore, be bare footed. We too shall experience some pretty amazing summers. If it's not your jar of gravy to walk around barefoot all the time, it's okay. You can have a great summer with or without shoes. But for the rest of us, let us celebrate!!
