Sink Those Toes in the Sand!

I’ve just come home to Springfield after three weeks in Negril, Jamaica; my February home. I believe I first visited in 2003, so now it’s been over 20 years that I’ve returned to the same place to dig my toes into the sand.

I love walking a beach. Last year, due to a ‘stretching injury’ when I arrived and decided I needed to work harder, I was nearly unable to walk! It was all I could do to get about a quarter mile to the grocery store nearby, on a brick sidewalk, let alone travel on the beach. And the winter before, I had been recovering from a medical procedure and was unable to walk long distances…so I was VERY happy to be able to walk up to five miles a day on this trip!

What I’ve realized/what I feel is that allowing myself to literally focus on sinking each foot more deeply into the sand, then working a bit to toe off more sharply, seems to put more resilience into my legs, but also allows me to focus on which parts of my foot touch the sand and which parts try to stay away from it. Then, I’m able to adjust my footfall so I can more fully use my entire body. It sounds a bit too esoteric, I know…but it works. I’m always refreshed when I get back to a walkable beach (Negril is 7 miles long!) then focus on my walk for some distance…less interested in how far I’ve gone and more interested in how deeply I pay attention to my footsteps. I imagine I sometimes look like a crazy person. I don’t care; I’m interested in using my footsteps to give myself a massage in that loving sand for as long as I’m able. And clearly, walking in the water is a great way to go as well.

This year, there had been a large storm just before I arrived and the beaches were covered with more seaweed than I’ve ever seen in Negril, so I stayed off the beach for the first week. By the time I left however, I was happily trekking two miles up to stretch, bob in the surf, take the sun cure, then make that lovely beach walk back home.

I realize not everyone has the chance to barefoot walk on a beach all the time, but what about barefoot walking wherever one is, focusing on that use of the entire foot to exercise the entire body using attention to the feet. Sand helps: awareness helps even more. Sink in, enjoy, and spring out into the world, whether on the beach or not!