Chrysalis

Two years. Two years spent debating. Two years spent wondering. Two pathways, yet... For two years, they remained untrodden. 

 

The first step is always the hardest to take; the muscles not yet developed, the patterns not yet embedded in memory. It takes time to learn to walk. Little by little, stumble by tumble, life finds a way. It's all a matter of progression; starting small and working up. Becoming ambulatory starts with crawling; slow but stable. 

Movement is introduced. 

Climbing and leaning help build the next skill, adding verticality to the horizontal progress. Aides assist in putting the two together; be it a trolley, walker or parent, eventually, the brain co-ordinates and the two become one. Step by step, travelling to the next stage of development.

 

Sometimes, something is missing. Sometimes, something extra is needed. Without the walker, the assistance, one would struggle to walk, struggle to continue. They may survive and they may adapt but they'd always struggle.

 

One small pill. Made smaller still. Slipped under the tongue. 

 

Everything changed, the aide administered, and I could learn to walk.

 

Two years. Two years spent debating, wondering. Two pathways... The trail blazed, never to look back.