The Chutes and Ladders of Everyday Life

As a child, I loved playing the kid's game, Chutes and Ladders.
Chutes and Ladders

Most everyone will be aware of this game, but I will describe it for the benefit of realtives in India who might one day read this entry. ( I don't know if they have Chutes and Ladders in India. If not, shame on me for never having brought a copy of that game to India). In Chutes and Ladders, one rolls a dice. Then depending upon the number of the dice, one's gamepiece "moves up" the equivalent number of squares. If your gamepiece lands on a "ladder", you "move up" to a new box. As a result, you are closer to the finish line. If your piece lands on a "chute", you slide down a chute and are further away from the finish line. Landing on a chute is a setback.


In Chutes and Ladders, whether one gets closer to the finish point or further away from it, all depends upon chance. Winning or losing is based upon the roll of a mere dice.

In life, lots of our failures and successes are based upon our own efforts. I know lots of problems can arrive due to the influence of others in our lives. But I know for me, most of my problems have been due to my own fault. For instance, quite often, my weakness in procrasting and organizing has caused me lots of strife in various areas of my life. When I engage in these habits, it is like I am sitting on the world's longest chute. And unlike a rollercoaster or especially a water slide, the Chute of Procrastination and the Chute of Decreased Organization isn't that fun! I'll stop- I actually didn't intend to talk about me and my chutes.

Rather, I felt impressed to start this topic due to what happened with one of my patients today. This man survived a stroke that has impacted him in multiple areas of life. I can't even imagine the devesation of having to endure the devestation of falling down the chute of a stroke. Just yesterday he was sharing a bit about how he felt frustrated as he used to be able to do everything. Now so many things are so hard for him. Well, Monday, Tuesday and today he did the absolute best in his therapy. He made my day yesterday with how well he did. He worked hard and did well. He made gains! Even though he can barely stand and can't walk, this man definitely climbed a ladder this week and made awesome gains. Unfortunately, then this afternoon he fell. :( I'm not sure what happened as I wasn't there. I was frustrated and sad when I heard this, as a fall can be a huge setback, especially for this gentleman.

Falls can be so serious for the older person- indeed they can be fatal. Luckily, he didn't get break anything or suffer further damage to his brain. As I left work to night, I saw him and told him I was sorry about his fall. I wished I could give his new bruises on his forehead a kiss, but that wouldn't be too professional. We'll be back tomorrow, again trying to climb some ladders and hopefully avoiding chutes along the way.