Life in Five Short Chapters. . .

CHAPTER 1

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

CHAPTER 2

• 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 takes a long time to get out.

CHAPTER 3

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

CHAPTER 4

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

CHAPTER 5

• I walk down a different street.

By Portia Nelson

Helpful Books/Links/References for Life in Five Short Chapters:

Learning that there are Prayers for Gratitude turned my life around and let me down a different street.

Life in Five Short Chapters has been published in the following books (looks like other people liked it too!):

• The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Page 208) by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis © 2008
• City Baby and Star: Addiction, Transcendence and the Tenderloin: Book One from the Voices of the Edge Trilogy (Page 76) by Don Stannard-Friel © 2005
• Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Page 62) by Sean Covey © 1998
• Building Teacher’s Capacity for Success: A Collaborative Approach (page 178) by Pete Hall, Alisa Simeral © 2008
• The Woman’s Guide to Money (Page 11) by Kelley Keehn © 2008
• The neXt Revolution: What Gen X Women Want at Work and How Their Boomer Bosses Can Help Them Get It (Page 198) by Charlotte Shelton and Laura Shelton © 2005
• Starting Over: How to Take Back Control of Your Life! (Page 48) by Bob Gass © 2000
• Leadership Gold (Page 190) by John C. Maxwell © 2008
• Lessons for Living: Simple Solutions for Life’s Problems (Page 56) by Daniel H. Johnston © 2001
• There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk by Portia Nelson https://www.amazon.com/Theres-Hole-My-Sidewalk-Self-Discovery/dp/0941831876