Mahalo for removing your shoes-- no hu hu!

Growing up, we had a sign (the title of this post) hanging above our doorbell-- reminding visitors that we were a "no shoe house." It's typical in Hawaiian and Asian households, as well as some Scandinavian countries and in Alaska (who knew?). According the The Daily Om, the custom is born out of both practically and respectfulness-- the former most obviously in keeping dirt from being tracked in the house (and you all know how I feel about dirt); the latter being a way of showing respect by keeping the house clean and maintaining quiet. It also has symbolic roots-- of leaving the world outside. "In removing your shoes, your body lets your mind and spirit know that you are transitioning from work and other concerns to the sanctuary of your home."

Unfortunately I also work at home. Drat.

In any case, we finally finished all the flooring in the house-- months later than expected. But in addition to the wood downstairs, we've added beautiful cushy carpet to the stairs and upstairs landing and bedrooms-- making our house officially a "no shoe house." I've been anxiously awaiting this day and as I told MRN last night, for the first time, I really feel like I'm home. I can't tell you how nice it is to walk around barefoot because the floors are clean enough to stand on (and sit on and lie on) without shoes. I've always preferred sitting on the floor to furniture (an odd quirk, I know)-- and it has been irksome to not be able to do so in my own house because the floor and carpets were so disgusting (despite multiple diverse attempts to clean them) that you quite literally didn't want to walk around without shoes. In fact, I'm sitting on the floor next to the very comfortable new bed, just because. Ahhhh-- bliss!