Why Should You Show Grace to a Woman Wearing Birkenstocks to a Rodeo?

Because her pretty boots do not fit anymore and her Birkenstocks are just about the only shoes she can slide onto her feet. Because Birkenstocks are the ultimate security blanket in shoe form.  Because her Birkenstocks have an almost magical ability to grow with her expanding feet. 

Because her feet have been prone to swelling since she developed cellulitis after a second degree sunburn decades ago. Because the dumbest thing she did as a teenager was go to the beach on a cloudy day and not wear sunscreen.

Because her feet are puffy from the 14 hour car ride to get to said rodeo.

Because she’s halfway through her first viable pregnancy and doesn’t want to buy new boots. Because she doesn’t yet know her feet won’t return to their pre-pregnancy size. Because she is planning on fitting into her old boots again since this baby is a miracle that she doesn’t believe will happen again. Because she didn’t believe she would receive another miracle, she became pregnant again immediately (it only takes once!) and now her body is a baffling mystery and she doesn’t know what it will do next. Because as long as God is handing out blessings, she will say yes to them. Because after carrying four babies to term, her feet are unrecognizable.

Because she can’t seem to find the time to go try on boots and figure out what her actual size is now.

Because her feet support her nursing career and accept the abuse. Because they carry her through long twelve hour shifts and bring her back for more.

Because the past few years have been challenging and she’s gained some extra weight.Because even though her head knows better, her heart believes the best self care is Old Fashioneds and salted caramel chocolates. 

Because you shouldn’t judge someone’s shoes before you know where her feet have been.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “A Question”.