Once upon a time we were all born without shoes; without the ability to protect our soft pads and unable to walk on harsh terrain. When we turned into toddlers we would be quickly scooped up and carried in the arms of those who cherished us if the ground was dodgy, or our parents spotted danger. I remember my son hating the feel of grass and hauling up his chubby legs to escape the green blades when he was being lowered onto the lawn. His crumpled face said it all.
Then we got all grown up and shoes became the norm. We chose where to walk and learnt how to fall. We learnt to walk alone.
We discovered how it felt when our feet called out for new shoes and recognised the sting of blistered toes.
We learnt quickly how to wear the right foot gear - a lesson always learnt the hard way! I remember once trying to climb Ben Nevis in trainers. I was 15 and couldn't bear the thought of some cute boy seeing me in a pair of god-aweful climbing boots. And I paid, big time, for my teenage vanity.
That kind of vanity has gone, thank goodness (it's far too unrewarding), but plenty of other vanities have taken their place. I now adore walking up mountains and stomping along miles of beach in the most unstylish gear. I know that comfortable feet get you where you want to be, without pain.
But there are other sorts of walking that can only be learnt the hard way. Sometimes I'd rather not walk through bits of my life, I'd rather sit or get another to carry me. Walking on under your own steam can sometimes take courage you feel you don't have. Walking on through painful chunks of your life and finding the belief in yourself to say, 'Walk on....and don't look back, you can do this', doesn't come without a fight...an inner walk that we are built for; it's within us to do - JB
These are our new TOMS for Africa! Less than 10 days to go!
The idea of 'Walking on' and TOMS are united in our hearts and our thinking. Blake MyCoskie started TOMS with the idea of putting generosity into the heart of business - "One For One....buy a pair of TOMS shoes and we'll give a pair for free to a child with no shoes". Blake is walking on, putting shoes on the feet of children who have none, but most of all inspiring us and many others to keep walking forwards and, in the words of his latest book, "Start Something That Matters" - TW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yJFv3gnJrU
