Do you have a hole in your sidewalk?

Photo from curiouscatontherun

  "Autobiography in Five Short Chapters" 
by Portia Nelson from There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk 

Chapter One 
I walk down the street. 
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 
I fall in. 
I am lost . . . I am helpless. 
It isn’t my fault . . . 
It takes forever to find a way out. 

Chapter Two 
I walk down the same street. 
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 
I pretend I don’t see it. 
I fall in again. 
I can’t believe I am in this same place, 
But it isn’t my fault. 
It still takes a long time to get out. 

Chapter Three 
I walk down the same street. 
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 
I see it there. 
I still fall . . . it’s a habit . . . but, 
My eyes are open. 
I know where I am. 
It is my fault. 
I get out immediately. 

Chapter Four 
I walk down the same street. 
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. 
I walk around it. 

Chapter Five 
I walk down another street.

Through the power of the internet, I somehow came across this poem. I absolutely love it. As you walk down the sidewalks of life, what hole do you keep finding yourself in? How long does it take you to get out? How often do you find yourself back in that hole? How many holes have you learned to walk around? It seems that the holes are inevitable, but how long we spend in them is up to us. What I find uplifting is that once we become aware of the hole and see it for what it is and how we got there, we can avoid it in the future. May your path be smooth, but when it's not, may you have the mindfulness to see why that is and then continue on your way. - Adrienne :)