Walk in someone else´s shoes

There’s a steep mountain we have to climb to get out of the jungle. Think of about 800 very deep step-ups or lunges you would do at the gym, but on hard rocks, through slippery mud, spider webs, past tree branches, sometimes after a night of heavy rain and in uncomfortable rubber boots. That’s part of the walk we had to do to catch the bus into the nearest town. We only did it three times and it was tough. It’s the same walk that three children have to do every day to get home from school and it takes them over 2 hours round trip. They are 8, 5 and 3 years old. One day after school, the 3 year old (who, by the way, has burns all over his legs from a gas explosion) cried and refused to walk home. Dean carried him for the whole 40 minute walk from the school to our house and he fell asleep in Dean’s arms. The children rested at our house while it rained. Then, they all walked up the mountain to get back home, including the little one. It’s the closest we got to walking in their shoes.