We overlook shoes, but they keep us from the unknown hardships of our surroundings, from the unexpected.

When we stop to consider their function, we can’t help but wonder, where are the shoes for our minds?

The menace such a garment will shield us from doesn’t scratch at our skin nor cause blisters. The threats are more subtle, which makes them all the more perilous.

Seemingly mundane object

We put them on daily without much thinking, and we take them for granted. However, shoes are a way to explore the world without worrying about all the difficulties that lie ahead.

The antagonist does not matter; spikes, rocks, animals, mud, sand, or water. We are going to be well-protected.

What madness would be pretending to break every stone, flattening every hill, drying every puddle, to take a stroll.

What if we apply the concept of a shoe to more abstract foes?

Mental shoes

The mind has its perils.

Fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, rumination, desires, traps naturally created by the world, and the ones we are the very authors of.

If flattening every hill sounded mad, what could we make of extinguishing every desire? Isn’t it foolish to never feel fright?

Our answer lies in shoes. Instead of protection from physical harm, mental shoes would make sure that whatever we happen to come across, we surmount it.

An admirable mind

The practical equivalent of mental shoes would be a sound mind.

By no means will such a mind be exempt from defeat, but it is resilient.

It is prone to sickness, but it is always on the lookout for a cure.

When drowning, it learns to swim by necessity.

It will burn alive, but it comes back from the ashes.

When lost, it knows how to find itself.

Despite any puddle, hill, rock, or spike, it adapts. We must develop this soundness. Our predictions are as concise as our claims as to where lightning will strike next. We can’t be certain, nor do we have to. The only way is to equip ourselves and learn as we go.

Being our designers and tailors

Each of us has a different nature, blessings, and curses.

To live, we will need different traits. Some of us will have to toughen up, others to become soft. As we lack the option to buy a brand new mind, we will have to be designers of our own, the ones who make the stitches, the ones who say if it’s a right or wrong fit.

We will draw inspiration from authors, films, people, experiences, stories, and anything else we find meaningful. We have our lifetime to pull ideas from and grow.

Ultimately, the responsibility of being well-equipped and up to the challenge lies with us.