Final Thoughts: Advice to Families

Carl

The way the store manager reported it, as related to him by Walmart corporate HQ, was 'there is no law against bare feet in any store.' and Fred Meyers got hold of me today and made it claer that bare feet are ok in ALL thier stores, if anyone else here is near one-they're mostly out west and in Alaska. Owned by Kroger, which is based back East, so someone in that area of the country might check it out with them...

so now my barefoot day can include safeway, fred meyers, walamrt, bloackbuster, and of course the post office and karate class-thats pretty much everywhere I might go in the course of a day-come nicer weather, goodbye shoes! (except for work, damn work-and even then i could slip them off until the kids get up...)

Carl

I deeply appreciate the support and understanding given me and my family during recent events. It is now time to [chref=40]return[/chref]. Though not before leaving these parting thoughts. I'd like to offer a little advice to any families to whom an unusual opportunity come their way.

Beware of your own naivete. Being naive ourselves, we believed a group of folks who said they wanted to document our family's reality. We are a bit off the main stream, e.g., go everywhere in bare foot, family bedroom, sitting on the floor, home schooling. Many people take issue with some, or all of those life style choices we've made for ourselves. We recognize that their 'problem' with us is really a THEIR problem arising out of their own fear and insecurity.

Alas, we were dumbfounded to see how the people we naively trusted to tell it like it is ended up doing much of the opposite. Why would someone do such a thing? That's the thing to be wary of. Living your life in a straightforward manner dose not mean other do likewise. Well, duh! I said we are naive!

So, if opportunity seems too good to be true, it most likely is. The point is that you will fall victim to that which you are unaware. Maybe ask yourself some pointed questions first, such as:

• Do you really need the money, if any is involved, enough to lose that which is most important to you. Of course, you have to prioritize your life to figure out what is most important. That's a good thing to do in general, eh?
  
• Is the benefit you see coming from the opportunity worth the possibility of having your actual life misrepresented to the point that it becomes an embarrassing and humiliating piece of gossip?
  
• If the answer to both of these questions is no, don't do it. If the answer is yes, be prepared for the worst. Then you will not be disappointed

Buddy1

No matter how good your advice, there'll always be many many who are willing to sell their soul for any time on tv. I've learned almost nobody these days learns from experience, especially other people's, and few have has a sense of history...too many go into this for ego satisfaction, not for the opportunity to expose a different lifestyle to the world at large.
I'm still overwhelmingly grateful that you guys went thru this...good for a few laughs in the futture, if nothing else...

Buddy1

Anyone notice the most recent episode,the season (series?) finale, featured a family band of bluegrass musicians, with a character (the father?) who looked amazingly like Carl? Didn't watch the show, just saw the commecials and read hepcats recap on 'Fans of Reality tv', but man, seems like that dogs fighting over the same old bone...
Plus they only gave this episode an hour, instead of 2, so really do think it's headed for the tv graveyard.
Only difference is this family travels in a RV, which, speaking as someone who spent half my childhood in a car moving back & forth across the country, is a situation that should end in homicide more often than it does...