I can’t remember when
I first saw the ladder;
it just showed up,
reaching into the sky.

And so I climbed,
one rung at a time,
sometimes slowly,
sometimes swift.

“Can’t talk now!” I’d usually say,
“gotta climb!”
Not sure if they heard me,
or understood a word.

No time to stop and chat,
or explain my journey.
I’d do that when I reached the top;
easier to see from up there.

But they never told me,
these Ladder-Makers,
that there is no “up there”
because these ladders don’t go up.

They go sideways!
Away from myself:
the me that used to dream and dance,
and care and chat, and be still.
And love.

I jumped off my ladder a little while ago.
I thought the fall would kill me,
but, strangely,
the ladder was only ever a few feet off the ground.

No broken bones.
No scrapes.
Not even a bruise!
Is that hilarious or what?

Find out how you can get the encouragement
you need every day in your email inbox for FREE!