Shoes

 "We can never walk in someone else’s shoes for a mile or even a footstep, but we can hope of a better understanding and to learn to walk beside someone else, and attempt to see things, a small glimmer from their perspective for a short while.  But in the end we revert back to us and they them and hope we took something from it." - UNKNOWN

   We have all heard the saying, " You can never understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes" and it is very true, to a certain extent. When we speak with friends and family about experiences, or situations we were in, or are currently going through (good or bad) they only understand to the extent of how they would feel, or react in that situation, and vice versa.
    When we try to put ourselves into an experience that someone else has or had, we are able to put their shoes on but they never fit correctly. We can feel our feet inside their shoes (experience), but we are feeling them through our own feet (perspective), therefore, we can never truly understand what it is like for those individuals.

          Every body has their own unqiue story, backgrounds, up bringings, habits, and rituals that cause us to react, feel, and think in different ways. Realizing this may help us to better understand someone, but we will never, ever know them, or what it's like to be them completely. That doesn't mean we still can't be there for the people we care about, or help them; absolutely you should! Maybe it will allow us to be there for people in our lives they way they need us to be. Maybe if we stop trying to put their shoes on and simply listen, open our hearts up to what they are saying we would be able to become better listeners! You do not need to understand completely what someone is going through to be there to support, care, encourage them and even grow ourselves! Every encounter with someone is an opportunity to make a difference, to send out positivity. Start getting excited, caring about other peoples stories and journeys, as well as your own. Share your experiences because people learn through them as much as you learn from theirs!

       

Today I am grateful that I made it through my first week back at work and had a great weekend to top it all off! It's was great to get back into the swing of things and I am excited to see where this school year takes me!  

-A