Don’t let anyone who hasn’t been in your shoes tell you how to tie your laces!

How many of your children as tiny tots watched Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood? I remember how when my oldest, who was around 7-8 months and not walking yet, would hear the Mr. Roger’s opening jingle, crawl from wherever he was in the house to the living room, maneuver himself into his infant seat, pull up to his cheek his favorite blanket, and settle in for the duration of the program.

At the start of each episode, not only did Mr Rogers take off his coat, hang it up, and slip on his indoor cardigan, but he also took off his outside shoes and put on his indoor shoes, making a big production of lacing them up.

Recently, a special someone in my life was pouring out their heart to me and in my miss-spoken empathy, I interrupted and said, “I understand.” Big mistake!

All I needed to do at that moment was listen, listen, and listen some more. The other person would’ve absorbed my empathy by my being a receptacle and not an oracle! We generally assume that when another is sharing confidences, they’re asking for our advice or need us to “fix it.”

Our only job is to walk alongside in love.

Do you tend to tie other people’s shoes for them?