From the Archive – Jan 2011.
‘Whatever you ASK for in prayer with faith, you will receive.’ – Matt. 21:22
So I asked and I received. Next week I am meeting up with the fabulously inspirational Barefoot Doctor. And that’s exciting.
Contacting him seemed a very organic step to take along my ‘unshodden’ path and his immediate enthusiasm and embracing of my venture was humbling. I didn’t have to contact his agent, I wasn’t told someone would get back to me, I didn’t even have to ‘put all my details in an email’.
His reply was immediate, enthusiastic and positive, the very best type of reply to get. This is obviously a reflection of his super-caring personality, however I can’t help feeling that it’s also got a smidgen to do with the fact that I’m ‘unshodden and plugged in’. I’m sure there is a Universal Barefoot Connection, a USB for the unshodden, and not just the obvious connection or affinity between unshodden ‘soles’; there is a universal connection that is made, or strengthened, by having your bare feet in direct contact with the ground. Heart is an anagram of Earth, that’s a clue, surely? Being bare foot is like removing the barrier between the two, there is no ‘interference’ or ‘restrictor’. I am aware this will probably not come as a surprise to many people, even if you have just gone bare foot on the beach you will have felt uplifted and energised but there is a tendency to associate that with being on holiday or out for the day maybe. Being bare foot on your lawn may also make you feel ‘shoe-loose and fancy free’ but I think it’s much more than that. I think you are ‘plugging in’; plugging in to a universal energy, a knowing, a spiritual source.
I went to a business lunch barefoot yesterday and far from feeling uncomfortable by being ‘different’, I felt more relaxed and dare I say it, more confident. Well, no, more ‘congruent’, that’s it. And that would result in feeling more confident. I was aware of my bare feet on the carpet and felt ‘connected’, present. I’m sure it’s that awareness which keeps me in the present and that changes my perspective, positively. It’s easier to be positive in the present as you are not reliving an experience or projecting an outcome. You are also strangely unattached to either the history or the outcome; you can’t be because you are in the ‘now’. It’s a good place to be.
From a practical point of view, nobody said a word, apart from the people I met of course, whose response varied from mild surprise to uninterested and frankly, unconcerned. No one else said a word and I’m not sure that they even noticed. To be honest I’m not brave enough to establish unshodden eye contact with people at the moment, that’ll come.
Once again the trickiest part of the whole meeting was just how quickly my feet got so cold walking bare foot through the car park; that and grit. Grit is not a barefooter’s best friend, that’s for sure. Hopefully my feet will toughen up a bit as I cover more ground. Oh and this seems as good a time as any to say, I really don’t want to mislead anyone into thinking I will be unshodden 24/7. Not unless I win the lottery anyway; I still have to work and there is not a barefoot landscaper for good reasons. I think I have mentioned, hardy is one thing, foolhardy is another. And I am still very much at the beginning of this delicious, unshodden journey, dipping my toe into the wonderment of it all; as TUT reminded me just this morning,
Dream big, Lynne.
Start small.
Have it all,
The Universe
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