you must walk in their shoes.

But what if they don’t have shoes?

What if they walk.

Barefoot.

For Miles.

In the scorching desert heat.

Shielding their eyes against the blinding white ball

of heat and fury that is the sun.

Their bodies weathered and beaten.

Shoulders and soul hunched.

Walking a fine line between starvation and death.

Balancing an empty pot and their families’ lives on their head.

The cracked soles of their feet against the parched and searing earth,

that thirsts for water just as much as they do.

Just for a sip of water that may or may not even be clean.

What if they live halfway around the world.

Unsure of what tomorrow, or even today might hold.

What if the stark reality of their lives is too much for us to handle?

Us, with the cold, clean, pristine water that flows at the touch of a button.

Us, in the air-conditioned safety of our homes.

Us, with our refrigerators that hold seemingly endless reserves of food,

that come in all shapes and colors.

Us, who have to worry about overeating, much less starvation or even death.

Us, who can light up entire cities with the flip of a switch.

Us, with our automized and mechanized lives.

Us, who cannot even contemplate walking in their footsteps.

Us, who live with our noses in the clouds and our feet hovering miles above the earth.

Us, who shudder at the thought of lowering our feet to touch the burning hot sands of reality.

Because we choose to live in the swirling soft world of our comforts and desires.

Would we be able to walk in their footsteps?