Growing up in Minnesota, one of the most-awaited events of the year was that first summer day when we could go outside barefoot. Many mornings the grass would still be cool to the touch and it seemed to send an electric charge through us. We couldn’t wait to run, roll and tumble in it.

Did you know that the ancients believed that walking barefoot in the grass was the best cure for insomnia? In fact, many people still swear by it today.

At our retreat in Mexico this spring we practiced the “art” of going barefoot. We shed our sandals and allowed our feet—and by extension, our entire beings—to touch nature again. We felt like kids again—inspired, hopeful and playful.