Open every door

August 17, 2014

not knowingI open every door.

This has been pinned up in my office for more than a decade.  The moment I saw it I had to buy it, because it’s how I live.

I never made a conscious decision to live that way. It’s just how I was made.

I like poking around in new places and I think it’s because my mother was just the opposite.

My mother was a child of the Great Depression and that fact colored how she responded to the world around her. She didn’t like risk.

Security was super-important in her life. Of all kinds.

If something new came her way, she was often all about the reasons she SHOULDN’T explore it.

As I grew up, I realized that I had become all about the reasons I SHOULD. And I think that’s because I saw how her own fears limited her life.

My life would be different, I vowed. And it has been.

So when I see a closed door, I’m unable to walk by. I just have to open it.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’ll walk in. I don’t always.

But I’ll definitely peek in to see what it’s about before I decide.

Here’s an example: Maybe a dozen years ago I saw a door that led to a contemplative life in a religious order. I opened the door and looked in.

Yeah, I can hear some of my friends now, laughing in disbelief. But it’s true.

I didn’t walk through the doorway, but I did take a look.

This way of looking at the world is what drives my exploration of spirituality and afterlife. I want to look into the doorway.

Without actually crossing over, of course.

My reading on spirituality and afterlife continues.  There may be a next step there for me, a doorway that I’ll walk through.

I trust that it will reveal itself to me in the fullness of time.

I highly encourage you to open doors that appear for you along the way, even if you just take a peek.

You never know– the next big thing for you might be waiting.

And if you’ve had an experience opening a door in your life, I hope you’ll share it in the Comments.

 

31 comments on “Open every door
  1. Carol- as always another inspirational post!

  2. I agree, open the door and take a peek! BUT… if you are at my house and open a closed door, don’t be surprised if things fall out from behind said closed door. 😉

  3. I have to say that I am learning to be a door opener, but for years I was one who looked at the door, wanted to open it up, thought about and then moved on. Usually regretting that I didn’t at least crack the door open. Now I open doors, sometimes closing them quickly when i see that they are not the right one for me, but I don’t just walk past them anymore. And that feels great! Thanks for a wonderful post!

  4. Love it! Love this website too by the way, really classy and stylish. I too love to look behind doors. I think mine is more a fear of missing out, gotta just check I’m not missing out on anything behind that door, take a peek and decide yes or no. Great post.

  5. Liv says:

    I’m all for opening doors. Unless you’re my kid and I’m taking some mommy time behind said closed door.

  6. Laraine says:

    I agree! Open every door! I love to go new places, take chances, experience new things. How boring life would be if we never opened our eyes and looked around!

  7. Donna DeVane says:

    What a great attitude to have. There are always gifts… everywhere. Thank you for sharing with me. I’m inspired to open more doors and perhaps a few windows too. 🙂

  8. Nora says:

    Imagine all of the excitement and opportunities you would miss if you didn’t open the doors!

  9. Pat says:

    A great reminder to all of us to have the courage at least to take a peek at what awaits us if we are open to change.

  10. Lana says:

    It’s all about being brave for me – something I’m working on every day. Some doors I barge right through – and others I won’t even approach. Need to even that out a bit.

  11. You never know unless you peek in. Great post.

  12. My mom is the exact same way. Scared of anything new it’s almost as if fun is a sin. I never realized before she moved in how much she has limited herself. I was doing the same thing and I finally realized when I sent my first story out and it was published how much I had been missing. Now I’m determined to open every door I come upon.

  13. Myke Todd says:

    I enjoyed this immensely. Yours is a solid road map, tried and true, for you.

  14. Diane says:

    I always thought of it as being snoopy. I much prefer your take! 🙂

  15. Kathy says:

    For many years I was always in fear of opening doors. Once I found that unless I at least opened the door I could not have a choice or grow. The biggest door I opened was the one that allowed me to leave a job that I was comfortable in but no room for growth. I had to open a few more to find my present job but I am glad I did.
    Thanks for sharing this inspirational post

  16. D. A. Wolf says:

    An excellent philosophy, but I’ve found there were times in my life when it suited me and other times, not so much. A great deal has to do with financial means (harder to take risk when you don’t have reserves); some has to do with physicality and energy – when we feel well, it seems only natural to embark on new adventures spontaneously. When we’re dragging (or not feeling up to snuff), again, we’re less likely to open new doors.

    The lovely thing about the work (and play) of the mind, of course – is that it costs nothing and doesn’t even require that we budge to explore certain aspects of the world – and without having slip into the heels and dab a bit of lipstick on before opening those doors!

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