Let go of what others think

We had gone for a walk in the snow down into the bowl of Bryce Canyon in Utah earlier that day. After a quick shower in the hotel room, we headed down to the restaurant for dinner. Our boots were soaked from the snow, so we wore our flip-flops to the restaurant.

The hostess was the first to notice. “Hey, you’ve got the wrong shoes on!” she admonished. “There’s snow outside!”

“Yeah, I know. We’re from California,” Chip replied.

“Humph,” the hostess sniffed, as she showed us our table.

When our server approached our table, the hostess was right there again, quick to point out our inappropriate footwear to him. We tried to explain that we had been hiking and our boots were wet, but it only set her off more.

“I certainly hope you didn’t wear those,” she said. “There’s snow on the trails.” Then she trotted back to her station.

Our server didn’t care. He listened to the story about our hike, told us one of his own, and kept our glasses full.

Later during the meal, the hostess guided another couple past our table and pointed at our feet. “Look at these people,” she said. “They’re from California and they’re wearing the wrong shoes!”

We giggled all through dinner that night, all because our hiking boots got soaked.

Sometimes what’s appropriate for a situation just doesn’t work for you and you’re forced to improvise. Wear the wrong shoes if you must, but don’t miss the party because of what someone else might think.

God, help me remember that the important thing is how I live, not how I look.

From the book: More Language of Letting Go

The post Let go of what others think appeared first on Melody Beattie.