Thinking about the fact that I need to return a pair of shoes I recently bought, the expression “Walk a mile in her shoes” came to mind. We are taught or learn, hopefully, not to judge someone if we haven’t been in their exact same position. With genuine desire and effort, we can imagine what someone else is going through, and compassion and empathy will meet us there.
What we can’t always envision is what is up ahead for ourselves. The terrain of our journey can change with no warning; it will not appear on the map you have so carefully drawn for your life. And because there is no advance notice, we are most likely not going to be wearing the proper footwear. There will be mud and potholes, blisters and pain, you may even lose a toenail.
We will never know every detail of someone else’s situation. But in most cases they will be wearing flip-flops when the blizzard arrives. Just like our own unpredictable path, they are traveling unprepared and struggling to keep going. And maybe that’s all we need to know to slip theirs on, lace theirs up and head on down their road.
