Top of the Stairs


There's a space at the top of a stairwell in the building where I work. It leads out the roof, but you can't go on the roof. I call it the widow's walk even though it's not a widow's walk. The floor is seven paces by three and the floors haven't been cleaned in the two years that I've worked there (and probably for several years before that). Large windows make the space bright and quiet.

On a really hard day over a year ago, one of my coworkers suggested I head up there for a little break. Ever since, I've made that nook my own personal sanctuary.

Every so often, I'll spend a few minutes up there by myself.

To think. To pull myself together. To sigh as loudly as I'd like. To cry. To take a breath. To power pose. To kill time. To pray.

It's a gift, and on the hard days (and the easy ones) I'm so grateful for it.

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