While it may seem like a not very hopeful question and some may discount spending any time focusing on a question like this, it IS an important one. While we agree that focusing on the energizing aspects of hope in our lives is highly pertinent, we need to know what takes that valuable hope from us so that we can learn to walk around it, so that we can learn to avoid it, and so that we can learn to understand it, and understand ourselves.
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 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 is there.
I still fall in . . . it’s a habit . . . but,
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
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.
We are committing, as an experiment of sorts, to see whether we can build an important community here, so we really hope you will join us and discuss! Even if you hate hope right now… We welcome all respectful comments related to the discussion!
*Copyright 1993 Portia Nelson from the book “There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk”, Beyond Words Publishing, Hillsboro, Oregon. Used with (grateful) permission by Portia Nelson’s family and Beyond Words Publishing.
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