08/23/2026
“Just Walk With Him”
It was my first week working at a wilderness therapy program in the Arizona forest.
Driving toward camp, we passed a teenage boy walking away from his group. The staff member driving stopped and said, “Sheldon, I need you to get out.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Just walk with him.”
I caught up with him and, having no idea what else to say, asked, “Where are we headed?”
Looking toward the ground, with a Southern accent, he answered:
“Texas.”
We were in Arizona.
I looked at the little gear we had and said, “Alright. What’s our plan?”
We walked and talked. That night we dry camped without a fire, eating dried fruit and seeds. By evening, he was laughing and telling me stories about home.
The next day, we rejoined his group for a fresh start.
Years later, I realized something about the words I’d used.
Not, “Where are YOU going?”
But, “Where are WE headed?”
Not your plan.
Our plan.
Those words put us on the same team.
Walking with someone doesn’t mean agreeing with where they’re headed. Sometimes it simply means meeting them where they are and making sure they don’t have to walk through it alone.
Sometimes that’s what someone needs most.
Just walk with them—through the laughter and through the tears.
—Sheldon Nelson
