“Between a rock and a hard place” is a phrase we may use when there’s no easy way forward in a particular situation. It can be when every option feels difficult in its own way. Below is an example of how storytelling can make it easier to understand such phrases, especially for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD).
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It was a sunny day, and Erin and Noah thought it would be a nice day for a walk. A short time later, they came across an uneven stony path, their steps producing soft crunches beneath their feet.
A short time later, Erin was further behind.
Noah noticed this, and turned to find her crouched down. Her attention has become fixated on the ground. She picked up a small stone in her hand, turning it and examining it carefully, as if it might change if she looked at it long enough.
He walked back to her. “Find anything interesting?”
Erin didn’t look up straight away. “It’s the stones. They’re all hard, like this one I've got here,” she replied.
Noah glanced down at the path. “Yeah, stones are, much like rocks are too.”
She shook her head slightly. “No, I mean, even the small ones. I thought some might be different. But they’re clearly not.” She pressed her thumb against the stone, as if testing it again. “See, it resists.”
Noah watched her briefly for a moment, then said, “That reminds me of a phrase, ‘between a rock and a hard place.’”
Erin looked up at him, her expression already forming a question. “I’m not sure I understand it.”
“It can mean a situation where one is faced with two difficult choices,” he explained.
Slowly they walked on further. Soon they arrived at a bridge going over a railway. Erin felt it, and couldn't help but feel it was hard too. Still holding the stone, she said, “But a rock is hard, just like this wall.”
“Yeah.”
“And this wall is another one of those places you could definitely call a hard place.” She gestured to it. “So, it sounds like the same thing twice.”
Noah let out a small breath. “I guess it does.”
On they went. Erin looked down at the path again. Her gaze moved across the scattered stones. For a while, she didn’t say anything.
When she did, her voice was quieter. “Maybe that’s the point.”
Noah tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
She turned the stone over in her fingers again, slower this time. “If you’re choosing between two things, you expect one to be better. Or at least… less difficult.”
“Right.”
“But this isn’t like that.” She pressed her thumb into the edge of the stone, then released it. “It’s just like this path, and the wall back there. I don't see a softer part. It just seems to continue.”
Noah followed her gaze along the trail. It curved gently out of sight, the same pale, unyielding texture all the way.
“So whichever way you go, at least along this path,” Erin continued, “you’re still on something hard.”
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s right.”
She was quiet again, then added, “I think that’s why it feels worse. Not just that it’s difficult, but that there isn’t a clear relief.”
The wind moved lightly through the trees in the wooded areas either side of the path. For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Erin crouched once more and placed the stone into a gap in the ground fitting it as carefully as if it mattered.
“I don’t think I like that particular idiom,” she said, standing again.
“No?”
She shook her head. “It feels honest though. But also a bit heavy.”
Noah gave a small, understanding smile. “Some of them are.”
Erin looked ahead, then took a step forward. The crunch returned, steady as before.
After a moment, she said, “If I ever hear or say it again, I’ll think about this walk.”
“You mean, this path?”
“Yes.” She paused. “Not because it explains it. But because it feels the same.”
Noah nodded, and this time he didn’t try to add anything.
They walked on even further together, the sound of stone underfoot carrying the meaning the words had only approximated.
What situations can you think of that may make you realise you were between a rock and a hard place?
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