Heart and Sole
How do you walk a mile in one’s shoes when that person doesn’t even have one to begin with?
Simple. You walk a mile barefoot. Or maybe, not really a mile. :)
Question: What part of our body is usually taken for granted and is one of the (if not ‘the’) most underrated when it
comes to efficiency?
Answer: Our feet.
It supports our entire weight (bones, muscles and all), takes us to places, and more.
And yet, not many people talk about it and even less people talk about how many of our brothers and sisters go through life without even one decent and functional pair of slippers, much less, shoes.
It is uncomfortable to not have shoes. But it’s more uncomfortable to have more than one pair for a single ‘purpose’ while seeing our unfortunate brethren walking barefoot in the hot sand, cracked or cold soil.
I would like to ask for a little birthday present. Join me as I go barefoot for a day on April 8, 2010 Thursday, just to feel what it’s like to tread the earth without foot protection or support.
But, more than the experience, it’s about raising awareness. And more than raising awareness, it’s about taking action in our littlest of ways by supporting organizations who have the means to carry out large-scale efforts to deliver shoes to people in remote areas — where it is most needed.
You can choose to go barefoot all day, part of the day or an hour or a few minutes. Your choice. If you can’t go barefoot on April 8 but would like to participate in another way, it would be lovely if you could spread the news to your social networks to promote the cause and the event itself.
To know more about this cause, please visit One Day Without Shoes and find out how you can help kids without shoes today. ODWS is organized by Toms.com. Learn about their “One for One” (For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need.) mission and how it is helping children with Podoconiosis.
There is one event I have located here, happening at the Bonifacio High Street around 3:45 – 6:00pm. If you’re within the area around that time, you might want to check it out.
“We are asking people to go the day, part of the day or even just a few minutes barefoot, to experience a life without shoes first hand, and help spread awareness of the impact a simple pair of shoes can bring a child’s life.”
Let’s all go walk around Bonifacio High Street without our shoes on April 8, 2010 in support of children around the world who go shoe-less everyday :)
Thank you for your time. And thank you for your birthday present. :)