NatNews

It’s not uncommon to enter someone’s home and see shoes lined up near the door communicating a message to guests: remove your shoes before going any farther. For many individuals, it’s a cultural practice; for others, the idea of bringing in dirt and germs that live on the bottom of shoes is simply out of the question. However, wearing shoes indoors can help prevent significant health problems, including plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, Achilles tendonitis, and fractures from accidentally tripping over or kicking furniture.

It’s a more controversial topic than one might think, though. According to a recent NatNews research initiative, of those dear readers who participated in the survey, 33 percent said they do not allow shoes in the house, 11 percent do wear shoes indoors, 50 percent sometimes do but also don’t truly care much, and 6 percent don’t typically wear shoes but always wear slippers.

Houston-area resident Darla Hogaboom said she and her husband do not wear shoes in their home and take them off as soon as they walk through the door.

“I don’t like tracking in dirt and whatever gross things attach to the bottom of our shoes through my home and on our rugs,” she said. “I was raised not to wear shoes in the house. It feels very uncomfortable to have them on inside.”

Hogaboom said she has family members who live in other parts of the world in which not wearing shoes in the house is part of the cultural practices. She has also traveled to several countries where shoes are not worn in the home.

“Because of the weather, homes in Scandinavia often have a ‘shoe room’ just inside the door where you take off your shoes,” she said. “It feels unhygienic to wear outside shoes inside. I think it’s a very American thing to do. I remember visiting family in Sweden when my niece was young and her friends asking me if Americans really wore shoes in the house, like she had seen on television. They couldn’t get their heads around it. It was very funny.”

For some individuals, though, wearing shoes in one’s home makes sense. Former Dallas resident Eric Napple, who now lives in the Midwest, said he generally wears shoes, sandals, or slippers in his house.

“I have wood floors and a dog that sheds like it is her job, outside of sleeping,” he said. “If I don’t wear shoes, I just go with no socks because black dog hair sticks to socks. I’m a very clean person, but this thing sheds a small puppy on any given day, depending on the weather."

Like Napple, Grant Harrell also prefers to have shoes on when indoors, unless they are obviously dirty.

“Why not? I don’t have carpet anywhere in my house,” he said. “Who does anymore? Rugs can handle shoes. But if they’re wet from rain or mud, I’ll take them off.”

Harrell said he also doesn’t mind if guests wear shoes in his home.

“Absolutely they can, as long as they aren’t wearing muddy or wet shoes,” he said. “When I’m a guest at someone’s home, I always respect if they want my shoes on or off.”

While Napple is accepting of his guests’ personal decisions, he would prefer they keep their shoes on in his home.

“Come as you are, but I would rather not have someone’s nappy gross feet walking around barefoot, either,” he said. “Who knows where those things have been or the last time they were washed?”

And that’s where the debate gets a little murky at times because that’s how many people feel about shoes. Though Hogaboom has a no-shoes-in-the-house policy, she has a basket of new, clean slippers at her front door that she offers to her guests.

“A lot of these are the free slippers you get at hotels, so don’t be surprised to be offered a pair of hotel-branded slippers when you come over,” she said. “After saying hello, I offer the slippers and say where guests can leave their shoes. I’ve never had anyone balk at the notion before. And I always ask when entering someone else’s home if it’s a shoes-on or shoes-off situation.”

Many foot specialists recommend wearing slippers in the home to avoid discomfort and injury, though some individuals have no problem without them. Hogaboom said she often wears slippers throughout the day, depending on the temperature, though she generally goes barefoot around the house.

“I don’t think it’s weird not to wear shoes inside,” she said. “I can’t imagine sitting comfortably around my own home wearing shoes or propping my feet up on the couch or something with shoes on.”

Harrell, on the other hand, said if he doesn’t have his shoes on, he always wears socks.

“Going barefoot on hardwood floors is no good,” he said. “Plus, when it’s cold, putting bare feet on hardwood floors isn’t comfortable.”

If your bathroom tiles contain travertine, they might have neanderthal body parts embedded in them. Travertine is a limestone that forms near natural springs and commonly contains fossils.

Every once in a while, a certain song, scent, or sight will conjure up a moment from one’s past, bringing back vivid reminders of where a person was or how he or she felt at the time. This is a form of implicit memory, which is not purposely stored and is used without conscious awareness.

For many individuals, this is especially true with certain songs or artists, as music is often paired with specific emotions for people.

“I think I’m a very nostalgic person, in general, and songs often stir up not necessarily specific memories but an overall feeling of an era in my life,” Dallas resident Darlene Alcocer Estrada said. “For example, if you play ‘One More Time’ by Daft Punk or ‘On Melancholy Hill’ by Gorillaz, I’m instantly back to being 9 years old in the early 2000s, when Toonami would always show the music videos.”

Music also plays a significant role in Dallas-area resident Nikki East’s implicit memory, as certain songs remind her of her mom.

“‘Forever Young’ by Rod Stewart is the song she dedicated to all of her kids,” she said. “Every time I hear it, I immediately think of her. Also, anything by Nat King Cole. She introduced me to him as well as so many others, and he quickly became a favorite of mine. His version of ‘O Holy Night’ is my favorite Christmas song. I remember how we would always listen to Christmas songs from the 1940s era. I still only favor that era when it comes to Christmas carols. Go away, Mariah Carey.”

In addition to the songs and artists that resurface fond memories, East also begins to feel nostalgic when she comes across an image of a Lite-Brite.

“It takes me back to Pennsylvania when I was a kid,” she said. “The attic was our playroom. We had a train set, the Wuzzles, and Huggables, and my brother had a My Buddy and several other toys. But I vividly remember playing with the Lite-Brite all of the time. It was so fun.”

Parents often experience implicit memories with their children during their younger years. For Dallas resident Kevin Roberts, there’s one particular fast-food restaurant whose smell reminds him of a weekly tradition he cherishes.

“My daughter’s elementary school was two blocks from our house, and I worked from home,” he said. “I would take her Chick-fil-A once a week and join her for lunch through probably 4th grade. If I smell a CFA sandwich to this day, it automatically takes me back.”

Music also surfaces flashbacks that go even further back for Roberts to when he was a kid and used to listen to records before going to school.

“There are certain songs that bring back memories of brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tarts,” he said. “Yes, 55 years later.”

People’s senses have powerful links to memory and emotion, which is why various sights, sounds, and smells can evoke moments from their pasts. Alcocer Estrada said she attaches strong feelings to certain memories, so any little sensory reminder can activate them.

“I will say that the memories that stick with me the most are the ones where I committed an act so ‘cringe’ that I have to physically shake myself out of the memory to remind myself that I’m older, wiser, and—most importantly—cooler than I was back then,” she said. “And, no, I will not elaborate.”

East said she thinks the reason one recollection might be more easily accessed than others is because something impactful is associated with that specific moment that causes it to be ingrained in the psyche. She believes it’s beneficial to reflect on memories, as those experiences—whether good or bad—have led her to become the person she is today.

“While I don’t think we should dwell on negative memories of the past, they do remind us of what not to repeat,” she said. “There are times when I find myself reminiscing with family or friends, and I am laughing uncontrollably. Other times, I may be bawling my eyes out because I miss my mom. Holding onto those memories and revisiting them ensure that we don’t forget those we have lost.”

Similarly, Alcocer Estrada said she thinks that nostalgia can have positive impacts on people.

“We can learn from the past or remember people from our lives who are no longer with us,” she said. “For instance, I sometimes catch the scent of my husband’s grandma’s house. She’s no longer with us, but it’s comforting to think of her and what she meant to us.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

Some of the NatNews staff and some dear readers went for a little run through Dallas over the weekend 

Monday, December 16: Stars vs. Capitals at the American Airlines Center
Tuesday, December 17: Free Rooftop Movie — The Holiday at Sundown at Granada; Dallasites101 Speed Dating & Singles Mixer (ages 35–45) at Happiest Hour; Turtle Creek Chorale Holiday Tour at First United Methodist Church Richardson; Elf Trivia Night at Legacy Hall
Wednesday, December 18: Women’s Wellness Event with Methodist Dallas at the Bishop Canopy
Thursday, December 19: Mavericks vs. Clippers at the American Airlines Center; Dear Evan Hansen at Winspear Opera House (also on Friday and Saturday)
Friday, December 20: Elf in Concert at the Meyerson Symphony Center (also on Saturday and Sunday); Epic Unplugged Presents — An Epic Christmas at Legacy Hall
Saturday, December 21: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Meet Me at the Museum — Jazz at the Dallas Museum of Art; Yappy Holidays at Tequila Social
Sunday, December 22: Christmas Brunch at Community Beer Co.; Cowboys vs. Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium; Pentatonix — Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas Tour at the American Airlines Center