Open Doors

There are many different quotes about how if you close one door another door will open. I came across this other quote that I like better: “Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late one that is open.” – Alexander Graham Bell.

How incredibly true. So often we are blinded and preoccupied with the fact that we are closing a door, or it is closing on us, that we don’t see what opportunities are before us. That sometimes the closing of a door is opening to something wonderful. It’s all in the perspective you want to have. Do you see things positively or negatively? Is the hourglass running out of time or do you think…”ok, there are still a few more grains of sand left…what will I do with that time”?

But the bigger question is, is the door actually closing? Sometimes a door closing really is a door opening. A door opening to possibilities. Opening to adventure. Opening to experiences one would never have if the door didn’t “close”.

Take for example a relationship ending. Whether it be a relationship ending mutually or not, a door is closing. Something that was a constant in your life is no longer there. A door has closed. Or has it really? It’s all in how you look at it.

One could see it as a negative thing. That a door has closed and I can never go back to the way things were and my life will never be the same. That is true. Life never will be the same. That person has left a huge impact and “footprint” on your life. That will never go away.

But in the same situation, look at it with a positive spin. Yes the relationship has ended and a door has closed, but is there a possibility for a different type of relationship? Do I have wonderful memories to reflect on? Can I see this as a door opening instead of one closing? In every situation there is an opportunity. An opportunity to grow. To become a better person. To experience life fuller and deeper each day.

The same thing goes for job situations. If someone loses their job, a door has closed. But equally, a lot of other doors have opened as well. Perhaps it’s a chance to change a career completely. Maybe it’s a chance to go back to school. What was gained from the previous job? Experiences to bring forward to a new job. Incredible references for any future employment opportunities.

It is so easy to get caught up with the fact that a door is closing. It is far too easy to just curl up sitting next to the door, holding your knees, rocking back and forth. Or even standing at the door, banging on it with both fists, even kicking it, hoping to break it down so that it would be open again. But does this solve anything.

Even if the door reopened, it technically isn’t reopening. It is another door opening completely – one of those doors that wasn’t seen while your entire focus was on the first door closing. You can’t go back in time. Nothing can be the same as it was. But you can walk through that new door, learn from the past and enjoy each and every second beyond that next door.