The Hole In The Road

Have you heard the story about the man and the hole in the road? Reminded of it in one of Yarn Song & Yoga’s blogposts, the story made me reflect on my life and how many different ‘roads’ I’ve taken so far. 

A man is walking down a road when he falls into a hole. The following day, he walks down the same road, remembers the hole too late. “Wasn’t there a hole somewhere down this road?” he says as he falls in it again. The next day, the man does remember the hole, but again too late; he falls in, however, this time someone pulls him out. “Here, give me your hand and I’ll help you out,” the kind person says. The day after that, he falls in the hole yet again. “I can climb out of this hole myself this time,” the man says, and he does. Then, the following day he finally takes a different road.

I love this metaphor. I can apply it to different areas of my life. Areas where I’ve tried things, fallen down, picked myself up, dust myself off, tried again, fell again, tried again, learnt something, applied it, fell down anyway, tried again, someone helped, fell again, helped myself and so forth. Until I realised it wasn’t going to work so maybe it was time to take another route.

It resonates with me at the moment because I feel I am at the end of that story. I’ve taken a different road to the one I was on before, when I was living and working in Bristol. Of course, there is always the chance that the story repeats itself on this new road; we might fall into a hole again. But maybe this time we can climb out of it straightaway, because of what we learnt along the other road. Or perhaps we are more ‘awake’ and we see the hole just in time and we know how we can jump over it, and we do so safely.

I have no idea where this road I am on right now is going to take me, and whether it’s a side road or a main road. Will I stay in The Netherlands, will I move back to the UK, or will I go to an entirely new country, or continent? As I left Bristol, my landlady pointed out the world is my oyster. I am excited and a little nervous. Things are changing. Old dreams and wishes are re-surfacing, asking for my attention. Most of all, though, no matter what this road is, right now this one feels right for me. 

How does the-man-and-the-hole-in-the-road story affect you? Does it make you think of the different roads you’ve tried and tested, and are you finally on the one without holes? Does the road without the holes really exist? 

I am ready and willing to find out...are you?