Malone, I too love this analogy, though it is somewhat ironic to compare this process to a game. Aren't games supposed to be fun??!! I seem to have an equal measure of snakes and ladders, but would love to see the balance tip towards more ladders. That slide back to the bottom is pretty rough on the spirit and sometimes the climb back up the ladder is more arduous than it should be. But I'm grateful that there are ladders and that there is a way to get back up. It's just that there are some days when it feels more like a snakepit and a ladder with broken rungs. I think that I'd rather play Candyland!!