New Appreciation

I'm a morning person so as any day I left my dorm around 7 o'clock a.m. for breakfast, only this morning I stepped on to the cold wet concrete with my bare feet. While the past couple of weeks have been gorgeous and highly "unMichigan" today was more of a typical Michigan spring day, cold and wet. Instantly my feet were tingling and burning. With each step I took my feet cringed with pain. Since yesterday it had rained there were puddles to walk through and worms to walk around. Even the door mats where cold and wet as I tried to warm my feet up when I entered one of the buildings on Campus.

Today I participated in "A Day without Shoes" sponsored by TOMS. It was an invention to anyone to goes shoeless for a day (or even a couple minutes whatever they could) to experience what so many people around the world deal with every single day.

As I walked back to my dorm after breakfast, the thought crossed my mind to give in. I had the experience and "understood." But then as I began to journal I realized, I was no where near understanding and those who I am trying to relate to, no matter the weather they have no option of putting on shoes. Therefore, I continued and decided not to complain anymore despite the drop of the temperature.

It was cool to see the different students throughout the day who joined TOMS in a day without shoes, I thank God it wasn't a nice day and therefore easy for people to not wear shoes. Hopefully to them it was more then just a fad and it brought awareness and it moves us to action.


I have a new appreciation for shoes.