19 February 2008

There's a Hole in My Sidewalk

In the book, The Best Year of Your Life, author and speaker Debbie Ford includes this poem which I believe sums up so many of our own stories.

There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk:
Autobiography In Five Short Chapters
by Portia Nelson

Chapter I
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 me forever to find a way out.

Chapter II
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 the same place, but it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

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

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

Chapter V
I walk down another street.

Most of us are sleepwalking through life and are bound to keep falling into the hole in the sidewalk. Until we awaken, to ourselves and those around us, Chapter Five will continue to elude us.

Awaken to your power,
Coach Carolyn

5 comments:

NYC taxi photo said...

I heard this poem before in my intro to counseling class about a year ago. It is so true too, very easy to see second hand, the people all over our environment falling and repeating their mistakes, destined to live the same fate again.

And what's harder to see is ourselves falling into our own hole, no matter how small our fall may seem at first.

Anonymous said...

Looks like a good book to read. Beth Moore has a book about the pits we keep falling into. It's awesome also.

Thanks for sharing I may have to read this also.

Coach Carolyn said...

Thanks for sharing your comments. It does give one pause...

Brenda said...

I just found your blog and like what you're doing here! (Even had to subscribe to your RSS feed.) Keep up thg good work!

Coach Carolyn said...

Brenda, thanks for your kind words. I am so glad you found us! Keep rockin!