Life Along The Saw Blade: Linear Progression Upwards

Life Along The Saw Blade: Linear Progression Upwards

Picture this: an old crosscut hand saw, lying on its back.

The flat spine rests against the table, and the jagged edge, the teeth, points upward at an angle. Imagine tracing your finger along those teeth from one end of the saw to the other. It's not a smooth line. It's not soft or easy. It's jagged. Sharp. Uneven. Yet undeniably, the motion is angled up.

This, in many ways, is the visual metaphor of our journey through mental health and well-being.

Growth That Isn’t Smooth

Life is full of gain. Full of expansion, learning, and healing. But it’s never without its dips. The assumption that progress should be clean and without setbacks is one of the oldest and most limiting beliefs we carry, often silently. We long for a straight line of achievement, of mood, of wellness, but, that just isn’t how it works. Life doesn’t move like a graph drawn with a ruler. It moves like the blade of the saw.

Each valley between the teeth might feel like failure or regression, but it’s actually part of the forward movement. You cannot have the next rise without first dropping into the valley. The valleys are not detours, they are the path.

The Role of Self-Judgment

Here's where many of us stumble: in the valleys, we judge ourselves.

That’s the voice of the Old Mental Muscle, the one that whispers:

• “I should be past (X).”

• “Why am I back here again, I would be (X) if...?”

• “I thought I had already grown through this, I could have (X).”

  
  

This self-judgment doesn't just pause progress, it deepens the valley. It makes it harder to climb out. It traps us in rumination, shame, and resistance. The original dip may have been necessary or due in part to the environment around us, but the extended stay; that’s often self-inflicted by our own lack of self compassion and self awareness.

Using Your Tool of Self Awareness

Every valley holds an invitation: learn something here.

Instead of reacting with self-punishment, meet the moment with curiosity. This is where the Tool of Self Awareness comes into play. Ask yourself:

• What triggered this valley?

• What story am I telling myself about being here?

• What can I notice, not fix, about what’s happening inside me?

  
  

Awareness turns discomfort into data. With that data, we grow. We begin to climb the next tooth of the blade. And though it will dip again, we rise again too, slightly higher than before.

Keep Moving Along the Blade

The goal is not perfection. The goal is upward momentum, even when it includes temporary descent. When we stop expecting smoothness, we stop resisting reality. We begin to walk the jagged path with more grace, trust, and self-compassion.

Just like that old hand saw, lying with its teeth facing upward, our path is jagged, but angled up. You're not backsliding, you're evolving.

So next time you find yourself in the valley of a tooth, pause. Don't judge. Get curious. The blade continues upward, and so do you.

This is life along the blade. Keep climbing.

Chris Lauzon, LICSW

Therapist

Boston, Massachusetts