Walk a mile in my shoes.

A few weeks ago I came into the change room and was overwhelmed by a feeling of frustration and sorrow. There was no one in there that I haven't seen a hundred times before. I started to change and caught a small wimpier out of the corner of the room. I turned and really had a good look around. A small fragile girl was curled up in the corner trying desperately to hide her emotions. Like I said I have seen her lots of times around the school , her mother is a fellow black belt. I felt a little reluctant to approach her. She is a little shy and doesn't seem to want a lot of attention. I asked her if she was all right. Was she hurt? I had noticed as I came through the school that the class on the mats were sparring. She slowly looked up and her hair feel away from her face. When I finally looked into her eyes the pain and sorrow I seen there floored me. What could have put so much struggle into such a young heart? The mother in me wanted to pull her into my arms and comfort her but I sensed she would not welcome this gesture. The warrior in me wanted to go and kick the @#!* out of whoever was torturing this child. She struggled to pull herself together and managed to speak past the lump in her throat . She said she was not hurt and really didn't like sparring but knew she had to do it. I gave her an encouraging smile and told her I would explain to the instructor that she couldn't return to class. She hesitated a moment and I could see her dig deep and shake off her fear. She got up nodded her head no and returned to class. I finished changing and went out to watch the end of her class. She bowed out with tears running down her cheeks. Now I know there are things in this world, Lessons to be learned by us and our children that will only make us stronger. As a mother I have had to use methods to get my own children past fears I know that they have to deal with in order to make them into strong adults. But at that moment I would have done anything to lighten the load of that child. To make her smile free and easy of the harsh things in the world that we all must live with and overcome. She humbled me. I think of my own petty fears and realized how self centered I become within myself in the face of my own fears. If this young girl could march on then so can I. Walk a mile in someone shoes and then you know how good you have it.

Linda Shipalesky
Silent River Kung Fu Stony Plain Alberta Canada