Treasure loves wearing oversized shoes, they are either for me, her mom's, anyone's really. They look huge on her tiny feet. Every step sounds like clomp...slide...clomp as she walks forward, her little ankles lost inside these big shoes.
Here's the thing, she never gets frustrated or embarrassed. Even when we all laugh and joke about how big they look, she's always happy with this big, beautiful smile on her face. To her, the loud noise isn't a problem, it's her own music. The struggle isn't annoying, it's part of the fun.
Think about this: Many of us are walking around in shoes that feel way too big, just like Treasure. Maybe you just started a new job and feel like you're faking it. Maybe you just became a parent and feel like you might mess up any second. Or maybe you moved to a new city, started a big project, or took on dreams that feel too big for you right now.
People always tell us to "fill the shoes" we're given or "grow into" our new roles. The message is that it's normal to feel uncomfortable, awkward, and like you don't quite fit.
So what do we do? We try to hide how wobbly we feel. We walk super carefully, hoping nobody notices all the empty space around our feet. We're so focused on not falling that we forget to actually enjoy the journey.
We hear that "clomp" sound and think it means we're failing, when really it's just the sound of us making progress.
But what if we saw it like my little girl does? She wasn't worried about whether the shoes fit perfectly. She was excited about wearing them!
She understood something we adults often forget: the joy isn't in things fitting perfectly, it's in the trying.
She wasn't looking at her feet feeling worried, she looks up at the world, giggling. The big shoes weren't holding her back, they were just part of her big adventure. They gave her a reason to be silly, make noise, and just enjoy the moment. Something that should have been a problem became the thing that made her happy.
She knew these weren't her shoes forever. They were just for right now. And for right now, they were fun.