Autobiography In Five 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 hopeless.

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’m in the 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.
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.

 

The workbook and my seminar are excellent ways to see if you or your partner are willing to
learn the same thing that the person in this poem learned along the way. The exercises and agreements will
help you discover and improve your ability to take responsibility for your part in your marriage and relationship problems, to show you have empathy for how your behavior or decisions affect your partner and to make amends with your words and deeds. Learn about the download or sign up for one of my monthly Couples Communication Skills Real Hope Los Angeles seminars.