shoes.

as you may or may not know, today is "toms a day without shoes" day. i love toms. i love shoes. i love supporting people who don't have shoes. 

which i do regularly, by purchasing toms. (hah! retail therapy with no guilt!)

helpful shoes for all occasions!

in typical apu fashion, there are people who are insanely opinionated about this day. although it is normal for people to be walking between campuses without shoes, today it happens in abundance. 

some people think it's dumb to raise awareness for people without shoes by spending one day without shoes. they think it doesn't do much. i understand their thought process. 

here's my however...

however. although we aren't doing something for them directly, we are helping people be aware that it is a serious problem. we are helping ourselves develop sympathy and empathy for these people. i know that walking around barefoot today isn't going to solve anything. i'm aware that it may be unsafe, and kinda gross. but it is so, so worth it to me. 

so, i'm walking around shoeless today. for the beautiful children i met in south africa and swaziland this summer, who do it every day.

for this precious little girl who traverses through trash full of dangerous things to her little feet every time she leaves home.

on a completely different note.. have you noticed that each of my titles is one simple word (usually a noun)? typical katie. sticking to a pattern.