Earlier today when I went to take out the garbage, I put on my most comfortable and used shoes. It's a pair of sandals that have years and miles under their belt, and they're starting to get really worn. Where once there was a lovely flower with a beautiful stone in the middle, now it mostly looks like whithered petals.
There is a well-used saying that encourages us to walk a mile in someone else's shoes before we judge him or her. I used to wish this was possible - to walk in other’s shoes, that is. I looked at people I admired, saw their qualities, skills, knowledge and growth, and often in my head, it was like this phrase from The Jungle Book was playing: "Oobee doo, I wanna be like you, I wanna walk like you, talk like you, too…”
For a long time I did do my best to be like them and walk and talk like them. I wanted to know the same things, move in the same direction and be up to date, oftentimes resulting in nothing but my feeling inadequate and wrong. Until one day when I realized that the path they were walking was not my path. Their way of using their knowledge and gifts and contributing to a better world was not my way.
Sometimes it can be tempting to think that the paths carrying other people's feet are better and more right than the one we walk on. But we all have a life path that is ours. And sometimes our paths cross and sometimes we walk beside each other. Sometimes we need to stop and catch our breath and it may seem like everyone else is chugging along without us. And other times we take the lead and can help others by going first.
Allowing ourselves to be inspired by another person is perhaps one of the most beautiful compliments we can give. But we also need to remind ourselves that there is something that our lives have prepared us for and that no one else can do in the same way as us. We are like different instruments in an orchestra. Everyone has a melody that is needed for the whole, but it sounds a little different for each of us. And if you've been looking for some sort of sign, wondering if your song, your experiences, your gifts and your light could possibly be of value to other people and to the world, then please consider this to be it.
And when our path leads us to places we haven't been before or when the surface feels extra bumpy and uneven, it's actually quite handy to have a pair of shoes that are comfortable and fit, worn or not!
Warmly,
Karolina
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