The other barefoot guy in my college
Some context from my previous post.
So just earlier today, I ran into the only barefoot guy on campus (as far as I know). He wasn't a student, instead a Vietnamese guy in his late 40s or early 50s (perhaps he lives on campus or something). I approached while he was on a morning walk. I asked him about the barefooting experience on campus and such. He was a bit surprised at first but seemed really passionate to talk about his philosophy on barefooting. I don't recall too many specific things he said, but the points he made that I do remember essentially boil down to:
No one else goes barefoot on campus to his knowledge
People will stare, like a lot, but not really comment (probably comes from students respecting their elders; they probably wouldn't do the same if it was another student their age)
Barefoot is the natural way of life (I already knew that though)
My conversation with this guy really felt like a wise old man giving me advice. He gave me quite a few words of encouragement. Although I will say, I'm rather disappointed. While it was nice to meet another barefooter on campus, this guy isn't really someone I'll see or even interact with very often as he's not a student, let alone someone of my age. He essentially just confirmed I'll be alone in my unshod endeavors.
I'm not going to completely give up though. While I can't say for sure if I can truly go 100% barefoot, I'll definitely make some plans to wear slippers more and try sneaking them off every once in a while, perhaps when its raining or if I ever play frisbee with a friend on one of the grass fields. Perhaps I'll even go on my own barefoot walks if I arrive early in the morning. My photography org has an upcoming nature photowalk event so maybe I'll even go barefoot there.
The future is cloudy, but I'll see what I can do. More suggestions and advice are welcome.