Have you ever had a chance to walk a mile in someone else's shoes?

Oh, a few time, a not not always by choice.

I told my daughter how I’m feeling and she said, “That’s how I feel 24/7. Now you know.” Really made me sad.

“Before you judge someone you should walk a mile in their shoes. Then if they get angry you’re a mile away, and you have their shoes.” – Jack Handey

You’ll stumble in my footsteps
Keep the same appointments I kept
If you try walking in my shoes
If you try walking in my shoes
Try walking in my shoes

Depeche Mode

Prednisone sucks!! I’m sorry!

I’ve recently taken up writing as a hobby and I’ve been seeing the world with new eyes lately. I’m so much more interested in what it’s like to be other people now that I’ve spent some time trying to put myself into the heads of the fictional characters I’ve made up. I’ve been seeking out experiences like these – even if they suck, there is always, always value in learning more about what it’s like to be somebody else.

I took a writing for children course once, via mail. One of my assignments was to go watch a kid and just write down what she does and how she does it. Her name was Chastity. I don’t remember if it was her real name or one she made up. It was a good exercise.

I guess that the experience is most significant when you have known someone who had a specific experience and you either didn’t take how difficult it is seriously, or simply was unable to imagine what it was like before you went through it yourself.

I think anyone who has experienced chronic pain didn’t know what living like that is really like until they went through it themselves. That happened to me. I always had sympathy for people who lived with daily pain, but I didn’t really understand what it is like until I had to deal with it.

This year for the first time I understand how married couples can pass a point of no return. We aren’t there, but only because we have been together so long we both really believe the problems we are going through are temporary and are due to things we have little control over right now.

Not literally to be sure.
But figuratively lots of times

That sounds familiar…. who else do I know who has been there….

/looks in mirror

Okay, no Prednisone for me, but there is more than one road to that destination. Hell, my wife beat me here by a few years, though it wasn’t until fairly recently that I truly understood; some things only make sense to those who experience them first-hand.

At least you are grateful for it not being an everyday thing for you. That’s more perspective and altruism than many manage.