I rarely wear shoes at all. My boss doesn't mind be being barefoot at work, and my wife is thrilled that I've finally come around to being barefoot at home. But shoes are tools. So the other day, after we were finished performing 16 shows of Pinocchio at the Enchanted Playhouse, we went down to help strike the set. I knew that there were going to be screws all over the floor as we dismantled everything. So I wore shoes. Ironically, one of the other guys managed to step on a screw that went right through his shoe into his foot!
For a while one of the directors at the playhouse kept pestering me about wearing shoes saying, "I'm just concerned about your safety." I finally convinced him to let me be when I reminded him how many times I've drawn attention to jagged edges and screws poking through set walls, yet no one ever deals with those hazards until somebody bleeds or a beloved costume gets torn. Twice I've been onstage acting while secretly applying direct pressure to a bleeding finger that I've snagged on a rough prop or ragged wall.
You are in good company, Michael.
ReplyDeleteSt. John of the Cross (Dark night of the soul), and Brother Lawrence (Practicing the Presence of God were both discalced (shoeless) Carmelite Monks. This is not to be confused with Franciscan's who are sometimes referred to as "discalced" because they wear sandals and not shoes.
Signed,
The father of the Barefoot Pastor. who wears shoes all the time because stepping on sharp air hurts his feet.