stumble-and-fall

Catastrophe alone sparks man__ salvation. I don__ mean in the religious sense, although I guess it is appropriate there, too, because believers agree that salvation comes only after death. It is part of the human near-tragedy that we learn more from loss than from gain. Gain binds us until we stumble and fall into that black pit then we find the spirit of understanding and truth. And if we fall far enough and still persist, we find our salvation.

Oh, of course I stumble. There are times when I__ confidently skipping along and then I trip over my own poorly-placed steps and fall face first into the thickets. But I think there__ a sort of beauty in falling. Each time I fall, I__ reminded that I__ still human, that I__ still learning, that there will always be more lessons, growth, and discovery up ahead. So, although I have times when I__ weak, when I__ critical of myself, or I lose hope, I wouldn__ give them up for the world. I cherish them _ because it__ the risk of falling that makes life a grand adventure rather than just a guided tour.