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Shoes

Shoes were to be worn to school, church, and to go visiting, but came summer, we begged every day for the opportunity to go barefoot, but had to wait until the weather was warm enough.

I remember the first time in spring after we had discarded our shoes. The grass was wet and cold in the morning, and our feet had gotten sensitive during the winter so that the gravel hurt them. But oh, it was so much fun that day to explore. In the barnyard, the mud oozed up between our toes, and a sandy place felt so nice and warm on our feet. If we ran across a water puddle, we didn't have to stop and wonder how we could cross it without getting our shoes wet. As the day went by, we often stubbed our toes, stepped on rusty nails, got stung by a bee, or encountered many other mishaps, but they were all forgotten in the sheer pleasure of going barefoot.

However, the end of the day was bound to come, and only then did we realize that we had to wash our feet before going to bed. All the fun we had had during the day faded, as we took turns in the tub. It was still fun the next day and for the rest of the summer, but the first day's joy could never be surpassed.