Walk a Mile in Someone's Shoes

This brave “sole” has been standing here since 5:00 this morning.  Today is the Friday before Memorial Day, a very important day for this officer.  Along with her fellow officers, she is participating in a demonstration of changing of the guards to show support for the troops who have died for our nation. Her whole family has served in the military so she wasn’t always sure that she wanted to follow in their footsteps.  However, as she grew up she began realizing the honor and pride of serving our nation.  If someone were to step into her shoes, they would be very occupied in physical training, academic classes, and not to mention, events like today’s.  She says people would love stepping into her boots because they would have the rare opportunity of serving our nation.  We are truly thankful for her service and honor her on this Memorial Day.

 This librarian spends her days standing at the information counter at the Northside Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library on High Street.  Her job is much different than what one would expect of a librarian.  Many from the homeless community wander into the library looking for someone to help them find what they want- and it’s not always a book.  At many times the people are looking for a fast food restaurant or a place where they can stay for the night.  She wears these shoes because they’re comfortable and they need to be as she’s constantly walking back and forth throughout the library welcoming patrons and directing them to whatever they may need.  At the Northside branch she gets to see a very diverse population with whom she can’t interact with at some of the other branches.  Although her job can be understandably stressful she manages it well and always welcomes whoever it may be rich or poor into the library and makes sure they walk out satisfied.

This woman insists we take her picture with her new shoes on. She likes them much better than the ones she wore into the store.  It’s been a fairly uneventful morning. She dropped her son off at school then went to a pilates class. Now at Target perusing shoes, these hot pink sandals immediately spoke to her. They’re fun, cute, and most importantly, happy.  Not too long ago she got divorced, and as a single mom raising a five year old, times can get tough. But right now, things are looking up. This hard working mother is moving to California. To be in her shoes, would mean packing up a lot of boxes; and I would guess a lot of memories too. In California she will be closer to her family, which she’s looking forward to. She is throwing out more than old shoes. She’s throwing away her old life, and is gearing up for a bright future. 

For Mallory today is about shopping. She’s just spending the day going from store to store with her mom. She recently graduated college and is now back and happy to relax with her family. She has a degree in graphic design, so she likes her clothes to show that she’s a creative person. Unfortunately creativity isn’t as marketable as it used to be. A week with Mallory means going on a major job hunt. She’s got a lot of pressure on her to find work quickly, because loan payments will be rearing their ugly heads in less than six months. At the moment, she’ll do anything for cash, but her dream to is to design book covers/book layouts. I’m sure one day we’ll see Mallory’s work gracing bookstores around the world.