Please don’t take my shoes.

People are born with irreplaceable things. For the sake of visualization, let’s imagine these things as items. Everyone is born with a hat and a scarf and a coat. And gloves. We are told to give our gloves away. We can live without them. When you find somebody to love, you give him or her your scarf when they are a little cold, and if they love you, they will wash it and dry it and give it back to you. But when they don’t, when they take your scarf to replace their own, or because they like to collect scarves, they leave your neck cold and exposed. But you put your hood up and you start life up without your scarf. Your hat is the next to go. Someone lost theirs, or they need to inspect yours to make sure that you aren’t hiding anything in that head of yours. Your hat keeps your head warm, and without it the breeze attacks your ears and your scalp, giving you aches and pains. The person you have given it to forgets that it isn’t theirs and walks off with it. They drop it on the floor and when you run after them wondering why they took it in the first place they deny all knowledge. They blame you for giving it to them and pity you for losing it. They pray that you find another one. This hurts more, you feel this one. But your coat has a hood, so you zip it up and keep on going. You hold it tighter, and you don’t walk as straight, desperate to shelter yourself from the dark, deep cold. Your steps are heavier and slower, but you stride instead of stroll, searching for a place to get warm again. You meet someone else. They are your warmth. They heal you and warm you and make you feel tingly thoughts again. You give your life to them. They give things to you. You give your heart. They give their honesty. You give your time. They give their mind. They let you borrow their hat. Then you realize that their coat is thin and ragged. You give them your coat even though you will be cold because they are your warmth now. They smile. And put your coat on top of theirs. They take back their hat. They take your shoes. They leave. You have nothing.