Why I Hate Socks. And Athletic Shoes.

First of all, my astrological sign is Pisces, which rules the feet. I don’t really know what this means, but I don’t disagree.

When I was a child, my parents didn’t have a dryer. My mom used a wringer washer.

In the winter, my mother dried the family laundry on clothes lines in the cellar. My sock were always stiff and scratchy. I hated putting them on. We fought nearly every morning before school because she insisted I wear those devices of torture.

For many years, I had to wear shoes and socks year round. I would get a hideous rash on my feet (mistaken for athlete’s foot). I actually have a condition known as dyshidrosis, a form of eczema once believed to be caused by perspiration. Once I convinced my mother my feet needed to breathe, needed to shed the shoes and socks, I got rid of the rash on my feet.

To this day, if I can’t kick off a pair of shoes immediately, I won’t wear them. I won’t even wear sandals that strap me into them. My feet need to be free.

Pedicures are a sybaritic indulgence.

By the way. Happy National Go Barefoot Day.