My youngest daughter absolutely loves putting on her mum’s oversized fancy shoes and walking around in them.
She trips, she laughs, she stumbles and sometimes she cries. It is a joy to watch… mostly… until it turns to tears.
It’s funny, we have so many moments that happen in life, that are beautiful, things that are moments to behold, moments that can teach and shape us.
Yet so often we are so busy. Busy looking at our phones, responding to messages, listening to music, or busy doing all the important tasks we need to tick off. So busy that we miss the beauty right in front of us. Or we miss the lesson because we don’t pause to consider it within.
As I paused to enjoy the moment and observe these oversized shoes and the tiny feet sliding around in them I considered the age old saying – to consider placing ourselves in someone else’s shoes.
Sometimes people annoy us, sometimes they are difficult, sometimes people are simply hard to handle. Yet as I watched my daughter, I considered this.
Maybe, just maybe, if I lived the same life as some of the difficult people I know, maybe just maybe, if I was in the same living situation; I too would trip, slip and stumble too. And so for me, it is so important to hear and know someone’s story.
We all know difficult people, but maybe if we can take a moment to know their story and consider life in their shoes we may experience a small shift.
For me this allows space for a little more patience and a little more compassion.
I wonder what life will teach you when you too pause to embrace the moment before you.
– Michael Wilkes is a Living Well Trust Youth Worker
