How barefooting helps me be Minimalist
After a very nice, slow, intentional walk to work yesterday morning I was ruminating on the various ways trying to go barefoot whenever possible has really helped me in my journey into minimalism. Seems kind of wonky to me too, bare with me (pun not intended, I swear!) and it’ll come together -
There’s one fundamental truth underlying all of the changes I’ve made in recent years. And it’s the foundation for all of the changes I see myself continuing to make in the years to come.
Be Present
Seems so simple, yet it’s something that’s lost on most people in these days of social media, SMS, IM, crackberries, and web2.0ish. When you take the time to be present in each moment, you will think about each step and where it’s going to land. You’ll think about each car that doesn’t stop to let you cross the street, and maybe give a moments thought to why that person didn’t stop. You’ll think about whether or not you really need that widget before you spend the money. You’ll think about how each and every thing you do and say will affect not only you, but those around you as well. And there’s the connection with minimalism. I can’t speak for y’all, but I know that for me, minimalism is partly about minimizing my impact on the planet as much as possible. Folks, we’re running out of resources. Like quick. I don’t want to be personally responsible for any more of that destruction than necessary and I sure don’t want my lifestyle to influence others to be more destructive.
I’m not delusional. We all need to buy STUFF from time to time. We may not be able to set our lives up in such a way as to not be dependent on fossil fuels (I walk everywhere now, but once I’m back in Seattle I know I’ll end up buying a car again, eventually). But every little thing we do DOES HELP. And all it takes for me to remember that fact is to Be Present. And one of the best ways I’ve found to remind myself of that is to take a barefoot walk, which I do nearly every morning or evening. Nothing big (my work commute is a mile each way), but even 1/2 mile around the block is enough to remind me of what I need reminded of, and it’s invigorating as well! There are something like 20,000 nerve endings in the soles of your feet. But that’s for another blogger…Figure out what it takes to remind you to be in the moment. It may be walking barefoot, it may be meditating some other way. Whatever works for you…if you take anything from this -
Be Present
