Here in Byron Bay, no one wears shoes. No one. In fact, in this tourist town by the beach, people will look at strangers’ feet to discern if they are locals or tourists. If you’re wearing shoes, instantly, a flyer advertising skydiving or cheap beer or an outback adventure will be forced into your hands. If you’re not, people will assume you’re a local and not hassle you.
Now shoelessness in a beach town isn’t too unusual. But here in Byron, it takes on a new level. Shoes aren’t required in grocery stores, in church, on the street, in stores, even in restaurants. They are only required in bars at night because of the glass. One of our contacts here told us how he’s only been refused at one place for no shoes. It was a fancy restaurant outside of the city. He just looked at them, told them he was from Byron, and in he went.
I have always hated shoes, so this bare foot way of life is ideal for me. I have fully embraced and taken advantage of this cultural element, as have many of my squadmates. We walk from our campsite into town barefoot and rock the look the whole time. While I love it, it has had somewhat of an adverse effect on my feet.
The bottom of my feet are gross. They are some kind of brown/black color permanately now. I have a few scrapes on them here and there. The bottoms are calloused. But they’re beautiful. Because on these feet, I bring the Good News.
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” (Isaiah 52:7)
Now if my feet are nasty in the year 2010 with no shoes, I can only image how bad BC times were in leather sandals, traversing mountains. But Isaiah doesn’t say how tired they are or how dirty or how damaged, he says how beautiful they are. They are beautiful in spite of the dirt and cuts and bruises and callouses.
