As I was walking to work by myself the other day, my eyes were focused on the ground. I was thinking of all the responsibilities I needed to take care of that morning and was starting to feel slightly overwhelmed. But then in the pace of walking, my eyes caught glimpse of my feet. Left foot. Right foot. One step, then the other. I was walking to work. Usually I might begrudge the chore of having to walk forty-five minutes to work in the sun, but not that day. That day I was thankful. Thankful for the opportunity to embody what it might be like to live in a place where shoes were scarce and walking was plentiful. Where there was no option of riding the bus or taking a cab. In that moment I was walking side by side the many people who walk miles and miles every day to retrieve water from wells or who walk to a crowded classroom to learn how to read. I remembered my time spent in Uganda this summer where I witnessed hundreds upon hundreds of children walking on the side of the so-called dirt road in their school uniforms barefoot. I remember the calloused touch of the children’s feet that have lived, worked, and played without shoes their whole lives. With these memories and thoughts in mind, my forty-five minute walk became forty-five minutes of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for the shoes I’m fortunate enough to have on my feet everyday. Thanksgiving for the food I can easily access from the kitchen at any moment in time. Thanksgiving for the endless blessings that seem to flood my life. It was a humbling walk. A walk I now attempt to capture and harness throughout my daily activities as a TOMS Vagabond. A walk I need to continuously remind myself of when the wake of stress begins to creep its way into my mind. Left foot, right foot. One step, then the other…

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Tags:   TX/MW Vagabond
Categories: Vagabond Tour Fall 2008No Comments