From: Paul J. Lucas Subject: Business cards/Santa Cruz Date: Mon, 11 Sep 1995 14:50:17 -0700 (PDT) All - As some of you may remember, I had barefoot business cards made up. My idea was that, upon seeing another barefoot person, I would hand him/her a card as an "ice breaker" to try to befriend a fellow barefooter. The wording on the cards, to the right of a black footprint, was: Love going barefoot? So do we--the Dirty Sole Society Walking as nature intended Stores, streets, barefoot hiking Tough, callused, dirty feet Comfortable, healthy, natural, fun, cool Box 1365, Mountain View, CA 94042-1365 (415) 555-1234 The other weekend, I went down to Santa Cruz with the intent of passing out cards to every barefoot person I saw. I went to the Pacific Garden Mall (for those familiar with Santa Cruz) since there are a lot of barefooted people walking around there (more so than at the boardwalk/beach area). The first card I handed out was the most difficult. What would the person think of me? That I was weird? Nuts? I am happy (and very relieved) to report that almost all reactions were met with at least a smile, sometimes with a laugh, and sometimes with a "Cool!" Of the 20 cards I handed out that day, only about 2 or 3 people had no reaction at all. The thing that puzzled me, however, was that virtually nobody actually wanted to really talk to me about it after receiving a card. In a few cases I kind of stood there looking like I was waiting for them to say something (which I was). In those cases, I was asked, more or less, "What's this about?" At that point, interesting discussions developed. Based on the reactions of people, I came to the conclusion that the wording on the cards was such that it wasn't clear what the DSS is and that it is, in fact, a real organization. (I have yet to be contacted by anybody whom I gave a card to.) My original card order was for the minimum quantity possible since I, at the time, knew I would be changing ISPs soon (thus changing my e-mail address) and therefore would need new cards made up eventually (unless I really enjoyed White-Out which I don't). I therefore used this opportunity to also change the wording on the cards to make the intent clearer (hopefully). The new wording is: Love going barefoot? So do we--the Dirty Sole Society Tough, callused, dirty feet Comfortable, healthy, natural, fun, cool Join us: get-togethers, events, trips, and hikes Bare feet required! Box 1365, Mountain View, CA 94042-1365 (415) 555-1234 I returned to Santa Cruz to try out the "New and Improved" cards. One of the first barefooters I came across actually spoke to me before I spoke to him. He said, "A barefooter!" (Things looked good at this point. He was also wearing a silver toe ring.) Before I could hand him a card, he began to talk to me about obtaining some money in exchange for food stamps. He explaned that he and some friends were en route to Eugene, OR and he wanted to get money to food stamps to use towards gas. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I spent most of my life in NY, but I tend to be inherently suspicious of things involving money. He was rather persistent and, to shorten the story, I told him that I would be needing lunch and that if he got me lunch with the food stamps, I would reimburse him with cash. He agreed. His name is KoJhaiMe (meaning "God spirit"). At this time, it was only around 10:45 or 11:00 -- too early for lunch for me. We passed the time just talking about bare feet and barefootin'. He was eager to hear everything I had to tell him and he said that he definitely wanted to continue to toughen his feet. He thought the idea of "Black Feet" contests was fun and, at this time, the soles of his feet were filthy, much blacker than mine. We also talked about other things aside from bare feet. The lunch hour came and we found a local supermarket-type store with a deli-counter that accepted food stamps. We were both kicked out for being barefoot -- in Santa Cruz! Outside, he saw another traveler wearing Tevas and asked to borrow them to get food. The guy complied (awfully nice of him). (He thought it was stupid too that one couldn't go in barefoot. This marks the second time I have been hassled in CA...it's still much better than IL, of course.) I got my sandwich and I gave KoJhaiMe the money. We continued to hang out together the rest of the day, talking about various things and, every now and again, bare feet would find their way into the conversation. I gave card out to another barefooter who looked at it, smiled, and said, "Cool! I'll give you a call." (I think this means the new wording is better.) At some point, I offered to buy him a beer. We found a German place with outdoor seating. Despite a "No shirt, no shoes, no service" sign, I went inside to get the beer without incident. (I don't think the woman even noticed my feet.) Back out on the patio, a woman complimented me on my toe ring. KoJhaiMe and I continued to talk about various things. It just so happened that on this day, or rather the evening to follow, Bobby Weir (sp?), presumeably one of the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, was going to be performing live at a local club. (The image of hoards of barefooted Dead-Heads came to mind and I made it a point to return to where the show was playing later.) KoJhaiMe wanted to see the show. He also wanted to take some pictures. His camera was back towards the beach. We headed off to retrieve it. One the way, a van having the appearance that the owner was definitly a hippie. The van stopped and it was the guy, Jameson, whom KoJhaiMe was traveling with. He, and some others in the van, were on their way to a local church to get dinner. They asked us if we wanted to hop in and go. KoJhaiMe did so I followed. I was introduced and KoJhaiMe told them of my barefoot club. Jameson thought the whole idea was really cool and "far out." (Jameson was not barefoot himself and neither was anybody else in the van.) We arrived in the church parking lot. Everyone piled out and I was properly greeted by the other guys in the van by being hugged; then proceeded to stand in line. (FYI: If one was to look at me at the time, one couldn't tell that I didn't "fit" with the rest of them. I was wearing well-worn Levi's and a tie-dyed T-shirt with an old sweat-shirt over it. KoJhaiMe knew I was "different" in that he saw me purchase some clothes with my Visa card earlier when we were browsing some stores in the Pacific Garden Mall. I didn't make it a point to point out to Jameson and the others, however, that I was in fact "different.") In listening to their conversations, in conjunction with the hugs I had received earlier, I came to the conclusion that these were "good" people: kind, loving, and helpful. Everyone was referred to as either "brother" or "sister." It didn't matter that some of them were technically homeless with little money. We entered a large room in one of the church buildings where rows of tables were set up. We were to be seated and someone would serve us. The food was, surprisingly (to me anyway), quite good: a nice salad, pasta with vegetables, bread and butter, fresh fruit, plus cookies, cake, and chips for desert. Since I am capable of paying for my own food, I went up to one of the women in the kitchen area and made a $10 donation. She was very surprised, but quite happy. A little later, another woman came over to my seat and thanked me personally saying this that this is the first time something like this had happened. Msot of their food is donated and $10 will go a long way. After dinner, our group helped with the clean-up and storing of tables and chairs. We then drove to the beach where we just kind of hung around. There were a few drum circles going on. Most of the women in the area were barefoot. KoJhaiMe and I went wandering around. We walked on a fallen tree and I mentioned how much more sure-footed one was when barefoot given that your feet can mold to the rouned surface and your toes can grip the knots in the wood. Night had fallen. I decided it was time to take my leave. I said goodbye to new brothers and sisters I had only recently met ont he beach and to KoJhaiMe with a hug. I told him that if he ever found himself in the south bay to contact me. I'd give him and Jameson a hot meal and a place to crash and bathe. I didn't get to say goodbye to Jameson since he wasn't around at the time. I walked back to that club where Bobby Weir was supposedly playing just to see if my earlier image was right. There were certainly a lot of Dead-Heads around, but virtually nobody was barefoot. Strange. I got to my car and left Santa Cruz. The day was nothing like any other day. I'd say it changed my outlook on a number of things (for the better). Perhaps it's partly due to the "grass is always greener..." phenomenon, but I've every now and again been hit by the idea to just chuck it all, get a van, and just travel around the country barefooted and happy not even owning any shoes. Eh...who knows. Now for something completely different... I also went to the Mountain View Art & Wine Festival (alone). In addition to getting some stuff, as I often do at such festivals, I also had my (new) cards with me. The first guy I saw really didn't count as he was carrying roller-blades. He said he has heard about us on the 'net/web. We had an interesting conversation. He sounded genuinely interested; maybe he'll contact me. I handed out only a few more as there were very few barefooters at the festival that I saw. One was was approaching -- very dirty feet including the tops presumeably from resting one foot on the other. I gave him a card and he thought was definitely cool. I also got a number of comments and questions (all positive) about my Barefoot Hikers T-shirt which I was wearing at the time. That's about it for Mountain View. - Paul J. Lucas (avid barefooter) .oooO Oooo. http://www.best.com/~pjl/ ( ) ( ) Maintainer: alt.lifestyle.barefoot FAQ \ ( ) / Set your feet free and your mind will follow. \_) (_/