I grew up on a dirt road in the back woods of Southern Missouri.  Going to “town” was an event and for my family it required all four of us to load up in the truck for the weekly outing.  This was before the day of club cabs, crew cabs and SUVs.  There weren’t three rows of seats for my big brother and I to fight over – nope, my assigned seating was right next to my Daddy and thus right next to the steering wheel.  Everyone else in the family refused that seat due to straddling the gear shift and my Dad’s seemingly endless stream of flatulence, but in my opinion it was the best seat in the house!  Dad always let me steer on the dirt roads – oh, what a thrill it was.  Now on our dirt road there were potholes the size of a full grown milk cow.  I had a grand ability to nail every pothole dead on with the front tire and the rear tire, sending all 4 of us bouncing to the roof of the truck cab.  It wasn’t intentional.  I could see the potholes ahead but I just couldn’t seem to navigate around them. 

I haven’t driven those dirt roads in years, but I have a feeling those same potholes are there, haunting some other young driver’s navigation skills.  While I live smack dab in the middle of a large city now and highways and cement sidewalks have replaced my beloved dirt roads, I still find there are potholes along my path.  These potholes (or holes in my sidewalk) are disguised as harmless little choices and behaviors which lure me in and keep me from reaching my goals in life.  This insightful little poem by Portia Nelson illustrates how our potholes keep us engaging in the same behaviors over and over again.

Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost . . . I am helpless.
It isnt’ my fault.
It takes me 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 still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3
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 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter 5
I walk down another street.

Here’s what a pothole looks like:  Pressing the snooze button when you know you need to get up and get going.  Skipping breakfast and eating a cheeseburger for lunch.  Letting the laundry pile up until it’s overwhelming.    These potholes draw us in even after we declare we will never fall into that same hole again.  Those potholes rob us of our self-esteem and confidence and zap us of our vital energy.

I have a friend who loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts (ok, so maybe my friend and I look a little alike!).  Chapter 1:  My “friend” drives by Krispy Kreme and sees the “HOT NOW” light all the way from the interstate.  She pulls through the drive through, whips out a crisp dollar bill and trades it for a fresh, melty piece of doughnut greatness.  It melts in her mouth, oh it tastes so good.  As she licks the last bit of icing from her fingers she feels disgusted with herself.  Why, why, why did she just eat that? 

Chapter 2:  She drives down the same street, the “HOT NOW” light is on once again.  Moments later she’s savoring all 200 calories in a matter of 4 bites.  Regret hits again.  She’s no where closer to her goal of being fit and healthy.

Chapter 3:  My “friend” drives down the same street again.  Krispy Kreme is now her habit, part of her daily routine.  She knows she shouldn’t eat it, but she’s craving that sugar.  She eats the doughnut.  Her eyes are open, she’s angry, she spits out the last bite and swears she won’t eat another doughnut.

Chapter 4:  The next day she drives down the same street, she sees Krispy Kreme and drives on by.

Chapter 5:  The following day she takes a different route to work.

What does your pothole look like?  Is it procrastination, Little Debbie snacks, the snooze button, the internet, gossip, TV or clearance racks?  What chapter are you on?  Is it still not your fault, are you falling in day after day and someone else is to blame?  Are you finally sick and tired of being sick and tired?  Are your eyes being opened and you recognize these habits, choices and patterns of thinking are causing you to land at the bottom of the same darn pothole time and time again? 

The most common pothole for a Mama is “there’s not enough time in the day to take care of me.”   You know what Chapter 1, 2 and 3 look like . . . you go to bed late, you wake up early, you’re exhausted, your family needs you.  By the time you cook, clean, work, clean and cook some more you only have a few spare minutes to pass out on the couch in front of the TV and then start it all over again.  POTHOLE!!!!!!!!  As a young girl steering my Daddy’s truck along the dirt road, occasionally my Dad would grab the wheel moments before we nailed another pothole and save us all from whiplash.  Consider this your moment of saving grace, an experienced driver taking the wheel for a moment to avoid that same pitfall again.

You don’t have to live the first three chapters throughout your life.  You weren’t meant to remain in the pothole.  Your own denial tells you “I can get away with this one more time.”  “I can lose weight next month.”  “I don’t really care if I ever fit in those skinny jeans again.”  But your Chapter 4 reads like this . .
My alarm sounds early.
I am sleepy.
I get up any way.
I exercise, I clean, I cook, I work and I find time to make it all happen.

And Chapter 5
I have plenty of time in my day to do everything I wish.
I am happy and healthy.

A life worth living and loving awaits you, outside of the pothole!!!!!!!  Sharp turn left Mama, there’s a pothole ahead and we’re not falling in it again!