The Old Man and The New Shoes

Mid Week Musings #228

Photo by Nick Page on Unsplash

An old man was frustrated when he discovered his shoes were torn beyond repair and needed a new pair. He spent a lot of time walking daily, so he knew he had to find the best-fit shoes to support and protect his feet.

Unfortunately, getting shoes in those times wasn’t as easy as it is today.

The old man was very educated and held the knowledge of books in the highest regard. He knew that the wrongly sized shoes could be dangerous and could result in blisters and other injuries.

So, he bought all the books on how to find perfect-fit shoes.

He read dozens of books about measuring his feet right for the ideal shoes. The man even made a measuring stick for measuring the foot and shoes while following the book’s instructions. He went to the market when he was confident in his knowledge to find the best fit for his feet. He was very proud of all the knowledge he had gathered. He thought that hadn’t done this intensive research; he might have had to go barefoot for life.

When he reached the shop, he found a beautiful pair of shoes that were to his taste in aesthetics. But, when he was going to measure the shoes, he realized that he had left his measuring stick at home.

Oh, what a pity that his home was a long way back, and he wouldn’t have made it back on time to purchase the shoes on the same day.

So, decided to returthe next day with his measuring stick.

The following day the man went to the market barefoot because his older shoes were unwearable. He had to get the shoe today; otherwise, he will have to walk barefoot until he gets somenew shoes.

But to his dismay, he couldn’t find the shoes he liked in the shop.

So, the man inquired about the shoe to the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper told him the shoe he had chosen the other day was sold out. The old man was sad. Looking at the man’s despair, the shopkeeper asked him why he didn’t get his favorite pair the other day if he had liked them so much. 

The old man told he fhad orgotten his measuring stick and he knew how important it was to have the correct measurement to get the right shoes and how he couldn’t get measurements without his measuring stick.

The shopkeeper was even more confused and commented…

” But, your feet were with you; why didn’t you try the shoe on?”

The old man was bewildered and responded,

“All the books say that the shoes should have to be measured before getting them.”

The shopkeeper laughed and said,

“Oh, no! You don’t need to make things so complicated to buy shoes. You need to have your feet, some money, and maybe some common sense to buy the perfect pair of shoes.”

The Moral:

Knowledge and research come in handy in most circumstances. But, we should not get into the trap of overthinking. Sometimes overthinking may delay the decision, which may result in missed opportunities. On the other hand, sometimes, the problem can be solved with simple reasoning skills and common sense or by asking someone with the knowledge.

Alan /|\