How One Runner Is Bringing a New Awareness to Autism
Proof that so much good comes from running
This past April, hundreds of people created artwork, read poetry, danced, and went to museums. Not much of an opening article hook, right? People do these things all the time.
How about if I add that they did all these things, and more, with no shoes?
You may have taken a sociology class in college and learned about societal norms. One favorite assignment is to ask students to get on a crowded elevator and face the people riding instead of the doors, then note their reactions.
Societal norms are the unwritten “rules” we follow, such as wearing shoes in public, facing the doors inside an elevator, waiting in line, and knowing appropriate distances around others (a norm disrupted by the pandemic). Of course, these norms vary from culture to culture as any traveler quickly learns.
Unless you’re visiting a beach town, doing anything without shoes is one norm that draws attention.
A lot.
While it is not illegal to be barefoot in public, it certainly feels that way. Societal norms are strong.
For those visiting a restaurant without shoes, you’re not violating health codes; however, an establishment reserves the…
