A Mountain Hearth: Please Remove Your Shoes: An In-depth Look at the Barefoot Truth

A Mountain Hearth: Please Remove Your Shoes: An In-depth Look at the Barefoot Truth

You show up at someones house to visit and you notice shoes piled outside the door. This may seem curious, until children come running up to greet you and let you know in the same sentence as their greeting, to please remove your shoes. It may seem radical, but this is a shoe-free house. I discovered this foot loose and fancy free lifestyle when I was going to baby playgroups, and noticed that many of the other mamas had shoe shelves outside and no shoes allowed inside. With little people crawling around on the floor putting everything in their mouth, this was one of the best home policies I had ever heard of. I quickly implemented this idea and discovered that I loved it! No more mud and leaves tracked in or strange smelling bits of who knows what. No more frequent floor cleanings! Now came the tricky part of getting other people on board. The etiquette of shoe removal is surprisingly delicate. How does one express to family and friends that shoes need to come off while maintaining warm hospitality and an atmosphere of welcome? I decided to ask a few fellow barefoot friends to share their wisdom on the matter.