A friend from Prague sent this poem recently. I’d seen it before. He said it reminds him of the Responsibility Process. And for me it illuminates the emotional side of learning and change.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS

from
There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk: The Romance of Self-Discovery
by Portia Nelson

I

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 me 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 am 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.