One day a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking in the fresh snow by himself. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For every scene, he noticed but his own footprints in the snow. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the snow. He noticed that even at the very lowest and saddest times in his life, there were only one set of footprints. This disappointed him initially, but he soon realized that he had arrived at this point without needing anyone to ease his burdens. "During my times of trial and suffering, when I see only one set of footprints, it means that I didn't give up and that I carried myself through it."