day without shoes

from a talented you blogger named Donan Nealon (who happens to be my wife :)

One Day without Shoes was April 8^th. I felt like everybody was talking about it until I left the house of April 8^th and realized that only a small number of people actually knew about it. I just happen to live fully in that small number. Why? Because I work with college students who live part of their lives on Facebook.

Some of you might read some negative connections in that last statement. Please don’t. I’m not trying to communicate any values with that statement. I’m just stating a fact that I realized on April 8^th. I have an unique view into the values and perspectives of Americans.

It’s a beautiful thing that college students care deeply. Historically, college students have spearheaded important social movements. I love that students don’t want to simply give money to a cause but they want to try to ‘walk a day barefoot’ to raise awareness about the experiences of these children. The problem is real and has serious consequences. As stated on www.onedaywithoutshoes.com:

· In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to school, clean water and to seek medical help.

· Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.

· Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.

· In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.

· Podoconiosis is 100% preventable with basic foot hygiene and wearing shoes.

I was particularly impressed with students in Moscow/Pullman because it was inconvenient to go that particular day without shoes. It was about 45 degrees and very windy. Our house lost power for 30 minutes due to high winds. Nonetheless, I saw students braving the elements to support the cause.

Significantly inspired by my college friends, I did my best to join with them. I walked from my house to my car with flip flops in hand. I then put on shoes to drive the car (it’s illegal to drive barefoot…) and wore shoes into the grocery store (didn’t want to violate health code…) However, once I finished my grocery store errand, I took the flip flops off and walked around my carpeted house barefoot. I then got back into the car barefoot (as a passenger this time… no laws broken) and didn’t wear shoes for the 2+ hour drive to an overnight retreat/meeting.

In the midst of sharing this experience with my college friends, I pondered how my riding in the car or walking around on my carpeted floor in my heated house raised awareness for barefooted children in Africa. I felt like I was missing the point of the day but I was just going through my normal routine. My normal routine doesn’t involve walking for hours. My normal routine doesn’t involve hot and dusty roads. My cold feet only give me a momentary taste of life barefoot.

So, high five to the folks at Tom’s Shoes (www.toms.com) for mobilizing college students. I’m impressed with a company that gives one pair of shoes to children in Africa for every pair purchases. However, I’m not satisfied with just one day set aside for thinking about the lives of others. I think that’s an everyday call. How do you publicize that on Facebook?