I’m not going to go into the details of why, in our expat life, we find ourselves ordering shoes online for our kids, but suffice it to say – we do. There are myriad complicating factors to international shoe purchasing (especially if you live in a place where the general population finds shoe-wearing highly optional). The cost, the quality, the sizing, the styles…the possibilities for shoe misfortune are endless. In the end, you guess your kid’s shoe size, cross your fingers and click “order.”
Over the last several years, as a result of my own experience with this, I have found myself with at least 3 pairs of shoes per child that didn’t quite fit. Too long, too narrow, too short, too green (to which I admittedly say, “But you wanted green shoes!”), too wide or just plain “uncomfortable.”
When I think about the shoes, I think about all of the inconveniences that we must deal with as a simple fact of living life outside our home cultures. But, I also think about all the inconveniences that we accept simply by being blinded by our own habits. There’s a balance to be sought here I think. Those expats who chose to accept a certain level of inconvenience undoubtedly fare better. There’s very much something to be said for going with the flow and making adjustments to your own sense of normal in order to merge successfully into your new lifestyle. If you’re constantly fighting, the only thing you’re really defeating is yourself.
At the same time, isn’t it possible that over-flexibility or extreme-acceptance causes us on occasion to put up with things that actually have real, obtainable and viable solutions? The challenge, of course, is being able to recognize the difference.
It can’t hurt to regularly take stock of the things you’re “putting up with.” If you find yourself repeatedly struggling with the same issues, write them down and then ask yourself (or a friend) if maybe there’s a solution you hadn’t considered before. Then, list concrete steps to try out the solutions. And remember, when it’s all said and done, give yourself the reward of letting go of frustration over the things that really can’t be changed. Pat yourself on the back for simply taking a new approach, regardless of the outcome.
And, as for the shoes, the solution was simple (and very much thanks to the suggestion of a friend and mother of four) – purchase a Brannock Device. Life (and pocketbook) changing.
