Don’t walk in one shoe…

Joe Bradford

| 04/30/2012

“Don’t walk in one shoe…” a tradition many of us have heard right?

This hadith is narrated in Sahih Muslim from Jabir. What does it mean though? Let’s back up a minute..
Have you ever broken one of your limbs? You had to over compensate right? You’d walk a little more rigorously, grab a little tighter with your other hand, stretch a little farther to turn… do this for too long, and it becomes a norm.

Now think to yourselves about how we all do this emotionally as well. Do we lean too far looking for approval when we’ve lost it? Do we let encumbrances, setbacks, and personal failures shape who we are? Do we refuse to move forward, for fear of discomforting ourselves, even though we are comfortable now?
By allowing ourselves to remain in disparate situations, we allow our coping mechanisms to become roadblocks to recovery. We allow disproportion to define us. When it is time to get better, we feel we are “losing ourselves,” when in reality we are gaining equilibrium.
So how do you deal with emotional, physical, mental disproportion and imbalance?

Easy, take both shoes off, or put two new shoes on! Don’t allow yourself to be forced into a situation because of present circumstances. Just like you tie your shoes yourself, you can tie your hands as well.

Don’t let that happen! Reach down to whatever it setting you off course and take control. Don’t hang on to one shoe as if you can never part.
You may be anxious to walk barefoot, but soon you’ll learn to love the sand between your toes. It will lead to an ocean of comfort.
Breaking in a new pair of shoes can be stressing, but will give you an edge you never had, and push you that much farther forward in the race.
Seek balance in all you do, the physical informs us of the spiritual.
Its new shoes, or no shoes, never be afraid to walk in both!

Share

2 thoughts on “Don’t walk in one shoe…”

Comments are closed.

Related Posts

Spanish Rice Paella - Photo by Young Shih on Unsplash

Cooking Rice, Not Engineering It: Al-Shatibi’s Guidance on relevance in Usul al-Fiqh Studies

May 17, 2023

Consider the process of teaching someone to cook rice. You wouldn’t initially throw them into a deep discussion about the variations among Fahrenheit, Celsius, and…
Photo by Abdulmeilk Aldawsari: https://www.pexels.com/photo/monochrome-photo-of-opened-quran-36704/

Is it Forbidden to Pay Riba? Or is it only forbidden to charge it?

September 8, 2022

Recently someone presented to me the opinion or the assumption that it’s not forbidden to pay interest, it’s only forbidden to take interest claiming that…

Personal Finance: What is your net worth?

August 24, 2022

So you’re wondering what your net worth is. Your net worth is essentially everything you own minus everything that you owe. So if you have…

NFTs: Non-Fungible Tokens – A Very Simple Explanation

November 19, 2021

NFTs give you something that can’t be copied. Not a picture itself (anyone can take a screenshot). Here we’re going to use art as an…

When is staking your crypto allowed?

November 16, 2021

There are three situations in the market currently where they use the word “staking” but mean something different each time. You need to learn what’s…

What makes a crypto coin Shariah Compliant?

November 16, 2021

For those of you concerned with the Shariah compliance of the coins you are buying, Asking yourself these 5 questions will help guide your coin…

Zakat on Assets – A Quick Review

April 12, 2021

Let’s talk Zakat on Assets: – 1st, assets you do not pay Zakat on. – 2nd, assets you do pay Zakat on. – 3rd, deductions and expenses that…

Is SAFE document Equity Conversion Shariah Compliant?

March 23, 2021

SAFE documents are not loans. They are warrants for future equity. The structure found in the SAFE agreement is permissible and offers a viable, interest-free…

Book Excerpt – The Greatest Gifts

June 10, 2020

The following is an excerpt from a collection of short essays I’ve been writing over the last few years, each one encapsulates an event in…