A Walk in Someone Else's Shoes

When I was young, I spent a great amount of my childhood in my best friend’s kitchen. She lived only a few houses around the corner so we spent as much of our time together as possible. We made a lot of memories in that kitchen.

In grade school, that’s where we spent our time licking popsicles. I experienced my first earth quake away from home under her kitchen table. In junior high, we were constantly running into that kitchen to guzzle water after hours on her trampoline. And in high school, I remember leaning on their wooden island discussing dates and dresses for Winter Formal. But there is one memory I can recall more vividly than any of the others.

On the refrigerator was a magnet that read, “Don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.”

A few weeks ago our pastor told the story of a man on an airplane flight with his two children. The children were quite loud, running up and down the aisles and kicking the seats in front of them. Throughout the raucous, the father continued to gaze out the window seemingly unphased by his children’s actions. One passenger, a businessman, finally had enough and said to the father, “Hey, would you mind taking control of your children?” The father turned his head from the window and looked the man in the eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “My wife just passed away last week. I was just thinking of how quickly she passed- we didn’t really have the chance to say goodbye. It’s all still a bit shocking to me. I apologize about my children.” The father then quieted the children and turned back to the window.

I’m not sure how the businessman felt as he turned around in his seat. I can only imagine the huge lump he had in his throat after scolding the man, a widower. But what a brilliant idea this story brings to mind.

If I had only known that the woman who cut me off this morning was on her way to the hospital to see her dying son. If only someone had told me that the man who forgot to hold the door for me was unjustly fired today. If only there was someone who knew that my client just found out his wife has been cheating on him and that was the reason for his rudeness today.

But nobody knows these things.

So who I am to assume that every person that cuts me off is doing it for the pure pleasure of cutting me off? Who am I to think that each person who doesn’t hold the door is in a selfish hurry? Perhaps they all have something important waiting for them somewhere.

Twenty one years later, I finally understand the magnet in my best friend’s kitchen. I truly don’t know much about the majority of individuals I interact with on a daily basis. But why doubt them…God only knows the pain and difficulties they faced today.

☼ ap