I bet you didn’t set off on a very wet day to walk several blocks to teach an English class because you knew that it was a little weird to go on a rainy day, but it wasn’t raining right at that moment and it was supposed to be the first class and you didn’t want that nice young girl to think you forgot about her. I bet you didn’t discover that the last two blocks were on unpaved and VERY muddy streets. I bet you didn’t think, “Hey! I used to live in a place that was ALL muddy streets. I know how to handle this. I can find a path through the mud.” I bet you didn’t squish through a little wet grass because it was slightly less muddy and then eye that pile of rocks to see if you could jump on it and get around the massive puddle across the entire road. I bet you didn’t find out after you jumped that it wasn’t a pile of rocks, but really just a cleverly disguised pile of mud. I bet your foot did not sink to the ankle into the mud. I bet when you tried to quickly pull your foot out to minimize mess, your shoe did NOT stay in the mud while your bare foot came out on its own. And I definitely bet that you did not overcorrect and have to step your bare foot deep into that same mud. I’ll also bet you didn’t decide this was all a mistake of judgment, pry your shoe from the mud, put in on your slippery foot, and squelch several blocks home hoping beyond hope you wouldn’t run into anyone you knew.

But if I’m wrong and this did happen to you today, please let me know. It would help me not feel so alone.