Feel the Stage Burn
I would never seek the pain, obviously, but accepting it reminds me of my humanity — of my ticking clock.
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A local folk singer I saw perform in a coffee shop years ago used to strum and pat his guitar while stomping his foot to the beat. I always got the feeling that he could feel the music better without his shoes on.
A soulful/rock singer plays at a coffee shop I frequent now. She, too, plays barefoot — usually while sitting on a stool. She belts out her lyrics and taps along with her feet. Maybe she does it for the same reason.
Ronnie Van Zant reportedly said this about performing barefoot: “I like to feel the stage burn.”
Going barefoot has never been my thing. In fact, I used to sleep with my socks on. I know; I know. Don’t freak out. The only time I was barefoot was when I was in the shower. Even then, I wasn’t a fan of it.
But that changed after I had surgery last August on both big toes. I had no choice but to hobble around the house barefoot. And I hated it. I hated getting little pieces of debris stuck to the bottom of my feet. And I lived in fear of having no protection for my already vulnerable feet, post surgery. Plus, what happens if a spider happens to be on the floor?
My toes didn’t heal for months though, so I had little choice but to get used to being barefoot around the house. And I bought a pair of flip-flops and wore them out in public — something I wouldn’t have ever done if I’d had the choice.
Somewhere around month three or four, I noticed that I felt more grounded, in a sense, when I was barefoot. Let me try to explain why.
In addition to the surgery I had on my toes, my feet always hurt due to plantar fasciitis. They ache, even when I’m sitting. But something about being barefoot and feeling that pain without any covering makes me feel more alive. I would never seek the pain, obviously, but accepting it reminds me of my humanity — of my ticking clock. And I think that’s why I feel more grounded when I’m barefoot.
I heard tennis great Rafael Nadal say something before Wimbledon started this week that really resonated with me as he reflected on his severe knee pain and competing at such a high level at the age of 36.
“Sports and life go so quick,” he said. “I think it’s one of the things I’m most proud of in my career. That I was able to accept that things are not going to get better. That things are not perfect. You need to be humble enough to accept it.”
A few years ago, a friend gave me a pair of texting gloves. Yes, that’s a thing. They have some sort of substance on the tips of the thumbs and forefingers that actually allows you to text. You don’t really have a good feel for the keyboard though. You can see the words flowing across the page but you have very little sense of touch.
I think that’s how it feels to wear shoes 99.999999 percent of your life. You see the results of moving but you don’t always feel the results.
When I’m barefoot, I feel the rough shag carpet in my bedroom, the cool tile in my bathroom and the softness of a pillowcase I sometimes graze as I step past my laptop on the floor (I prop it up on a pillow when it’s not in use). I’ve missed all those sensations in the past.
I’m still not brave enough to walk barefoot outside though. Way too much can go wrong. Besides, from what I’ve read, it’s probably best to go barefoot in moderation. While I’m in no danger of overdoing it, it’s still nice to feel the stage burn once in a while.
Here are some tidbits you might find interesting this week:
This obituary listing is making the rounds online, and for good reason. The obit describes the podiatrist as a woman who was “treasured by patients who showered her with homemade treats she occasionally accepted as pay. Dr. Brennan-Weaver could not stop herself from buying shoes for patients if she spotted just what they needed while shopping. She categorically did not do house calls, except for patients she ‘really liked’; of these, there were so many she had to set aside whole days for house calls.”
“We are all ill-taught if we look for results only in the earthlies when we pray. A praying saint performs far more havoc among the unseen forces of darkness than we have the slightest notion of.” -Oswald Chambers
If you’re feeling down or pessimistic about the direction of the world right now, this article is for you: Light in the Darkness.
“Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in faith.” -Elisabeth Elliot
This is such a great post by Elizabeth Reynolds Turnage, offering practical ways to share the stories of your life with loved ones.
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Mind if I spotlight one of my books?
Finishing Well feels like the most important book I’ve written.
In this fifty-day devotional, readers explore what the Bible says about the importance of persevering to the end, suffering well, standing firm, leaving a faith legacy, earning heavenly rewards, striving for unity in the faith, mutually encouraging one another, not growing weary, dying well, and much more.
This edition is revised and expanded. Readers called the original thought-provoking, relatable, heart-stirring, and an eye-opener. You’re sure to find inspiration, encouragement, and a few challenges in this second edition as well.
Hi Lee, I’m glad to discover this newsletter and also your devotional on Finishing Well. I’ve actually been doing a lot of study and work to help people prepare for the end of life, gathering all the documents and information into one place, and I am currently doing an independent study on death and dying. I’m going to pick up a copy of your devotional as another resource. Thanks for writing!