A Walk in Your Shoes by Leia Shaw

For the past week or so I’ve been deep in the writing cave, working on revisions and edits. I’ve been fortunate enough to have an understanding husband who’s been giving me extra time on the weekends to get  this specific project done. Yesterday was Presidents Day and I was behind in my self-made schedule. My kids had off from school so I sent them to the babysitter and worked ALL. DAY. LONG.

My normal every day schedule goes something like this.

Hubby gets kid #1 ready for school and puts him on the bus before me and kid #2 wake up. When me and DD, finally get up, I drive her to preschool then get 2.5 to write (she’s half day until Sept). I pick her up around lunch time then we go to gym where I work out. After that, we either do errands or go home and hang out and I might get some work done if she cooperates.  Kid #2 comes home late afternoon then hubby and we have dinner, etc etc.

So you can see, I’m up and moving around almost all day.

My husband mostly sits at a computer all day, every day at his job. He comes home starving, dehydrated (he only drinks coffee during the day), stressed and complaining. In my eyes, he has nothing to complain about. I’m the one having had to drive all around town. I’m the one having had to cook dinner while taking care of demanding kids. I’m the one who works out every day (though I’m no marathon runner).

Yesterday felt a little like spending a day in his shoes. I was so deep in my work, I forgot to eat. I didn’t drink much either, except a cup of coffee every time I felt drowsy. I don’t think I peed all day. My neck and back were so stiff by the end of the night, if FELT like I’d worked out. I didn’t talk to anyone so I was depressed and moody. At dinner, I scarfed down seconds of the meal. By 7pm, I was so thirsty I drank 3 glasses of water in a row. That’s when it hit me. Oh my god. This is why my husband acts the way he does every day when he gets home.

Why the hell would some body do this to themselves every day?! It was awful. A nightmare. I couldn’t stand it. I felt so repressed by the end of the night. Like a heavy weight was on me I just couldn’t get off. I missed the gym. I missed driving around, even though it’s annoying as hell some days. I missed the kids, even though they are needy and demanding and drive me crazy. I never wanted to look at another computer again!

Though we didn’t mean to have this little walk-in-you-shoes experiment, it was eye-opening anyway. And it just might make me think a little harder next time I get frustrated with hubby about his mood at the end of the day.

Has anyone else ever done something like this, where you trade places with your spouse for a day? Have you learned any valuable lessons about walking in someone else’s shoes? Tell us in the comments below!

Filed under: romance