I read this poem by Portia Nelson years ago and for some reason thought of it today. I still love it.
I
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost … I am hopeless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.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’m in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.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.IV
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.V
I walk down another street.
It makes me laugh every time I think of it.
August 15, 2025
I love it. That pretty much sums up how a lot of us live our lives.
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…keep walking.
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This pretty much sums up my life!
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Yes, that’s the way it is for most of us!
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Reminds me of the saying, If at once you don’t succeed try try again.
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This is great … in particular III, finally acknowledging, “This is my fault.”
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Lovely
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And you learned
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This is really good!
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Don’t you love it when a poem pops into your head?
This one’s quite relatable, a good teaching poem for youth. Thanks for sharing it.
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I LOVE THIS. So true.
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