People Walking

Where do people learn to walk? I was watching these 6th and 7th graders strut their stuff from class to class the other day and I saw some interesting gaits. Before I begin, I must admit that my duck footed stride ain't pretty. So, nothing I say is meant to demean anyone. Let me just describe a few of the walks I observed.

You've got the lean back, slow "I think I'm a stud" strut. Trust me, that can't be the way that kid was created to walk. You got the girl in the platform sandals dragging them annoyingly along every step of the way. There's the kid with his nose down and his feet moving disgustingly fast, with hopes of making eye contact with no one. My favorite is the "I've got something stuck up my butt" walk. You've got the "I have no care in the world" walk, the "I have no idea where I'm going, but I'll get there fast" walk, and the "long stride, pop, short stride, pop and repeat" walk. Then, there's the girl who knows (or assumes) everyone's watching her.

Everyone's going somewhere. Some care more how they look along the way. Some just want to get there. Some don't know where they're going. Others don't like where they're headed. Some stop a lot along the way. Some hope to get distracted. Some will never arrive. Others arrive too fast.

Everyone's going somewhere. But, where is everyone really going? I think that if we stopped some people along their journey we'd learn some interesting things. We'd find hurts, fears, pains, joys, burdens, struggles, hates, excitements, insecurities, etc. But, in order to find those things out, we must engage people AS they are walking. Catch them while they are on their journey. There's much to be discovered.

You may not fix their walk, but you may give them more confidence in that stride and help them along toward their destination. Maybe you'll guide them in a better direction or steer them back onto the path. Maybe they don't have a clue they've been walking funny because no one has cared enough to stop and talk to them. Maybe they just want someone to listen and to love them. Who knows?

What I do know: Everybody's going somewhere. Along that journey, people walk funny. You walk funny. I walk funny. We all walk funny. We should walk, funny, right beside people.