Many a person has quoted the old addage, of course, on the topic of wearing another's shoes for approximately one and a half kilometers. Or, as it is colloquially known, walking a day in my shoes. I'm sure we've all heard it at least once when someone feels you aren't taking into account their side of things. Sometimes, however, it's an unnecessary statement. They already are.

Sometimes people already have their feet buried so firmly in your shoes they're unsure where their own went, a poor situation for anyone involved. While one person has their shoes quite thoroughly stolen, another has no chance to wear footwear suitable to their own feet, rather being required to use ill fitted garb for their journey, which for many will no doubt extend far past the agreed upon one point six oh nine three four kilometers. For some folks the shoes never come off, despite their unfortunate size. They'll trail behind the shoes' true owner down to the store, to the bank, to work, home, and off a cliff. A vertical mile is still a mile, after all.

And then there are those who wear everyone's shoes at once, as impossible sounding as that is. But rest assured, they can make it, just give them a moment. Ah, they need to move now? They understand, they'll be there in just a momen- Right now? Ah, yes, they will be there presently. They will keep up, despite welts. And not a peep from them, they can continue until their eight and change tenths of a nautical mile or their legs give out. But let's be honest, that won't stop them as long as there's anyone else on the trail.

But, of course, there are also those who enjoy their own shoes far too much.Why should they try someone elses shoes on for a change? That would be quite foolish of them, would it not? After all, they have one thousand seven hundred and sixty yards to walk. A paltry idea it would be to wear someone else's shoes. No, theirs will do just fine. As will theirs when they kiss their wives and husbands goodbye and try to walk up a cliff. After all, their shoes are quite perfect, are they not? And should perfect shoes be unable to scale sheer cliff? They do believe not, perish the thought.

But allow us to be quite sure here, all of those listed above are fools, of various values of which I'm sure you have all been made acutely aware if you have bothered to find yourself this far down. Those who never walk a mile in another's shoes will know them. Those who never walk a mile in their own shoes will enver truly know themselves. Allow yourselves some alteration in your footwear now and then, it may do you a world of good.