There Is a Hole in My Sidewalk
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
By Portia Nelson
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 street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend that 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 whole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…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.
Shape Shifting
Pretty much, everyone who reads this interprets this differently; romance, finance, business, health and attitude. I like to reread it every so often. I thought you might enjoy it too. It’s has impact for me. How about you?
Cheers. Thanks for reading.
Joe Loomer
August 3, 2009 at 9:35 am
So true Ken – can apply in so many different areas of life. Reminds me of the old definition of insanity – repeating the same actions but expecting different results….
Navy Chief, Navy Pride
Ken Montville - MD Suburbs of DC
August 3, 2009 at 10:27 am
This is deep, Ken. Get it” Deep? Hole in the sidewalk you fell in? Ahh. Never mind.
Brandie Young
August 3, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Thanks, Ken. Yep, it resonates! Funny that we do that …
Erion Shehaj
August 4, 2009 at 2:13 am
Brass Balls are not just a requirement to sell real estate. I’ve come to find out that it takes them to assume responsibility for your own actions, habits and ultimately, destination. But once you do, the level of empowerment alone is enough to make you walk around the many holes en route to your eventual success.
Loved It!
Ken Brand
August 4, 2009 at 9:08 am
Joe, Ken, Erion & Brandie, = Thanks. Cheers.
Ian Greenleigh
August 4, 2009 at 2:19 pm
I was a victim of identity theft in 2006. I’m fairly convinced that the perps gleaned info from Facebook in order to impersonate me. They bilked my grandmother out of $5,000 and we have recovered exactly $0 thus far. I’m actually going to be interviewed about this tomorrow by a reporter from the NY Post. Interesting how I’ve been prompted to think about this event twice in two days.
Paula Henry
August 9, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Ken – This could be applied to so many areas of life. By it’s very nature, life requires we make mistakes in order to be a survivor. Whatever category of life you want to apply the principle, most will find they lost a few rounds before they learned to shift their feet quicker.