15/02/2026
A dear friend, a fellow SOMA Breath colleague, someone I hold deeply in my heart and admire beyond words, shared this with me.
For those of you who truly know me, you’ll understand why this poem is so meaningful, and why it landed exactly where it needed to.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE CHAPTERS
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 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.
This piece is more than a poem.
It’s a mirror.
A memory.
A roadmap of a healing journey.
For years, I found myself falling into the same “holes”…
Patterns I couldn’t yet see,
habits I didn’t know how to break,
pain I didn’t realise I was still carrying.
I’ve lived Chapters I, II, and III.
And this is why the poem matters so much:
Awareness is liberation.
Choice is transformation.
Healing is the courage to walk down another street.
I'm blessed with people in my life who have helped guide me into Chapters IV and V. To finally see the holes. Walk around them. And sometimes… choose an entirely new path.
To the friend who shared this with me — thank you.
If this poem speaks to you too, let it be a gentle truth:
You are not stuck.
You are becoming.
And when you’re ready…
A new street is waiting. 💛✨