I was walking around barefoot. It wasn’t because I was trying to follow in the footsteps of the legendary artist, MF Hussain, who went about barefoot so he could feel the earth under his feet. And neither was it a mark of protest in support of a greater cause like that of Greta Thunberg, even though I absolutely love the girl and the cause.
Truth is, my barefoot status came about due to the stellar role played by my Beagle puppy/teenager/young adult. And it all began when Pluto (the aforementioned beagle) chewed up my last pair of slippers shortly after I discovered the nibbled toes of the slip-ons and the mangled uppers of my spare pair. While this would have been treated as a pretty regular occurrence under normal circumstances, given that Pluto’s demolition skills were well established. The fact that this discovery came to light in the hours leading up to the world’s first lockdown, completely changed the semantics.
The clock was ticking away furiously as I stood there, torn between the dilemma of making a dash (my sneakers were fine, just the laces were chewed up) to the footwear shop, or heading out to join the miles long queue at the grocery store/vegetable vendor/milk outlet. Sheer survival instincts kicked in and I found myself living the barefoot life in the world’s first lockdown.
The eight barefoot weeks were a great learning. From figuring out how to do my chores barefoot, to getting nodding approvals by the neighborhood oldies for embracing the wisdom of walking barefoot, and watching my family like a hawk lest they display any dreaded symptoms – it was a tumultuous time to say the least.
It made me revisit and re-examine the concept of essential vs non essential. I took a deep dive into the age old question of what really matters at the end of the day. While air, water, food and shelter are a given, I discovered that so is footwear! Don’t believe me? Ask the thousands who were abandoned and forced to walk back hundreds of miles to their homes in the towns and villages. And also to a very miniscule degree, the Beagle Moms who were left barefoot to tell their story.
Share
Image Credit : Shagun Nayar
Wow that was some delightful read…chappal ho na ho!! BN. Whatever said and done, lockdown has made all of us discover something about ourselves.. Reading this made me wonder.. thanks@Rashmi
Thank you so much Bela. I love that you found it entertaining and thought provoking too.
A very very amusing read…. Loved the way style.. Had me smiling through it all
Thank you so much Payal. An author saying that means a lot!
♥️
Thank you for the pictures ❤️
Haha….
Just reading about Pluto and his antics is a good way to start the day. I Love your tongue in cheek humour, and style.
Thank you so much Himani. Pluto’s antics have been quite a stress buster in this lockdown, notwithstanding the bare feet :))
Jaideep Bhowmik. Brought a smile to my face. Very well written ,infact I can visualise young Pluto nibbling at your footwear. Keep sharing these delightful stories
Thank you so much Jaideep. I’m so glad this got you grinning. I remember Bella and Bingo’s puppy days and the cute things they did 🙂
The adorable things that all puppies do 😜😊
Such a amicable way if looking at the disaster perpetrated by your pet. I wish all of us had that positive interpretation to your pets gimmicks, after all they are being natural.
Thank you so much Rajyashree. That’s such a wonderful way of looking at it! You are like the Sunflowers that you love so much in the way you are able to see the bright side of everything.
Pluto all time amuser! A grt inspirer
Thank you so much Neeraa. Such a blessing our fur babies have been in making this lockdown easier.
😆😆 Amazing write up so beautifully mentioned everything in detail Loved going thru it.Can visualize it hehee.😘😘
Thank you so much Abha. You would be able to relate to it well with your beautiful fur babies, there’s never a dull moment with them around!
Nice one Rashmi but I had warned you about getting a beagle
Thank you so much Buchi. I always remember your words when Pluto’s being super naughty…beagles really are SF 🐕!
Ma’am I love your style of writing.. Very candid and straight from the heart.. Keeps me hooked on to the story till the end..
Please keep them coming more often..
Amol Gill
Thank you so much for the encouragement Amol. Funnily enough, writing the candid one took more effort this time maybe because there’s just so much grim news all around. I hope Pluto’s shenanigans had you laugh out loud :))
Another wonderful story from our hugely talented Rashmi….this one had me chuckling from start to ending. As a complete shoeaholic I can sympathize….but…. don’t you find that our pets become our babies and you end up forgiving them everything? They bring such joy to us, and laughter,as you have amply illustrated with your tale.
Keep the write ups coming. It’s something good to look forward to.
Thank you so much Preeti. Seriously, how our fur babies get away with murder, I swear! I’m so glad it had you laughing…thank you for the encouragement always 😊
What fun you brought with your chappal story…loved every bit of it. You must be missing them every moment and turned it around to spread Joy. Lovely!
Thank you Amita. I just love how you have seen it as a story about turning adversity into a strength…the lockdown has been a lesson in that as much. Thank you for your encouraging words 🙂
Footwear/ at least flip flops and likes definitely ought to be essential! And wine..tell me about it🙄.
Pluto 😍😍 He will soon outgrow the footwear and you will be guarding other essentials then ..haha! Loved the narration and the endearing sense of humor Rashmi❣️
Thank you Sangeeta for the warning…haha…just when I was thinking he will soon outgrow the puppy thing of chewing up stuff!! Thank you so much for the appreciation sweetie, it serves as a real motivation 🙂
It is a very thoughtful write up Mrs Nayar. Starting with the humour part, one did not realize it that there was such a strong message conveyed in the end with such an ease. Pluto is a joy to the family. He made us realize that where are we heading towards. Even the educated citizens cannot categorize between the essential and non essential things. Loved every bit of it.
Thank you for your wonderfully incisive feedback Shrishti. Love how you interpreted the subtext so beautifully. You picked up the undercurrents of the travails and misery caused by the lockdown so perfectly. Thank you so much…much love <3
Adorable picture n loved every word u wrote… Rashmi u r truly gifted…
Thank you so much Mona for your encouragement always. Am so glad you enjoyed the piece…much love <3
You are really gifted. My second read in 30 minutes has left me wanting for more.. Have you been writing for long! Where else?