Bare Feet At Work, Bare Feet into Retirement :)

20 years of work.. Walkin' out to retirement barefoot!
The only way it should be, if the weather gods cooperate!
(That's OPI blue w/ white OPI Shattered on my toes!)

     Being a "barefoot-aholic" throughout my entire 40+ years of life, I had always dreamed of having a job where you could be barefoot at work all day, and never hear any shit about it! The easy spots for that are lifeguard (or pro swimmer), yoga coach (or gymnast), or martial arts instructor (or professional MMA fighter), but I always also thought that if I worked in a quiet, carpeted place..like, say, a library, behind a pharmacy counter (like in the photo below), my own office, etc..that I would just say, "Screw it!", and go barefoot at work anyway! As it worked out, life led me to my career with the NYPD, and that means boots. Big, stupid, black tactical boots. And black socks, because that's uniform standard. Ugh. A barefooter's worst nightmare! But it ain't like you can do patrol in flipflops or barefoot! That might just prove to be a teensy-weensy problematic (Ya' think?!).. However, during Saturday day shifts, when it was just me doing law enforcement-related paperwork in a locked, empty office all day, then all bets..and all shoes..were off, and it was "Bare Feet at Work" day! And now, I just retired yesterday, 20 years & done. So, how do you think it would end? Hah, read on, my friends..

        

Instagram user, P.Marie, barefoot at her pharmacy job.. :)
      

     At this point, I gotta shout out some love out to my sweet, priceless friend, and fellow bare feet addict, Ruby, for her amazingly hilarious idea that I should ditch the flipflops, and be walking outta work barefoot on my last day of work with the New York City Police Dept., which was yesterday, May 16th, 2013!! See, as much as I am an over-the-top, go ANYwhere without shoes, "don't care what others may think about it" BAREFOOTER SUPREME, even I hadn't thought to stroll out of work yesterday, on the last day of my career, with happy freedom toes flying free! It was after I told Ruby a really funny recent story about my flip-flops almost blowing off the precinct roof (five stories up), two weeks ago (while I had them off & my bare feet up on a folding chair, trying to smoke a cigar on an brutally windy day), that Ruby laughed and exclaimed, "OMG, you really have to walk out barefoot on your last day!!" ..And at first I thought, "Nahhhhhh, I'm not doing that", but then, literally, ten seconds later, I started thinking, "That is the absolute most perfect end that I could ever write to my career!".. I mean, all of my friends & family members have seen me at their weddings, sliding around the dancefloor in black dress socks, or, even better, just completely, joyfully barefoot (and everyone going photo nuts over my painted, rockstar toes)! They've all completely known how happy the topic of bare feet has made me for years now, too! Once the idea picked up momentum, there was no way I wasn't walking out barefoot, to the applause of my co-workers, who have also known about my "anti-shoes" attitude for years now. ..And plus, walking out to retirement, while in bare feet, is such an un-coplike thing to do (because of our paramilitary discipline structure), that it made it all the more fun & delicious to do that silly, barefoot stroll! ..Well, yesterday, my career ended on a major, funny high note. It was a cute moment, for sure, and a bonafide comedy HIT! I walked out barefoot at 3:45pm, to the applause of over 30 of my co-workers, and we were all laughing, which definitely prevented some sad, "parting ways" crying, and, thus, I exited the only way that Big Al ever should: smiling, and without shoes on his feet! So thanks, my dear Ruby! That idea was your baby! I love you for suggesting it, and I love ME for running with it! Bare feet at work..Bare feet into retirement! Bare feet FOREVER!

Yep, it's hard to tell, but there ain't no shoes
 on that happy big lug's awesome bare feet! Peace out, everyone!