You can’t find out if you don’t go in
Sometimes we need to close one door in order to open other doors.
Here’s the thing, sometimes doors close. Expectedly or unexpectedly. They might be slammed closed. Definitely and suddenly. Or the doors might be on a pneumatic mechanism that has them slowly and perhaps more painfully closing over time. We might not see the door closing and find ourselves surprised at the outcome of finding ourselves on the other side of the transom. Or we might have worked diligently or even intentionally to close a door - wanting to shut it tight and with no intention of going back through it.
In some cases, we might try desperately to keep a closing door open. We can try bracing it open and holding it open with all our might and brute force, but we will eventually grow fatigued from such heroics and find our energy waning. This is not a sustainable approach. We may try planting our body firmly in the way of the closing door, but when we do, we’re only likely to experience our fingers getting smashed in the doorjamb or our egos bruised as we exit. In other cases, we may find that the door is still swinging back and forth, like old saloon doors. We might be tempted to waltz back inside but may feel uncertain about what remains on the other side of the swinging doors.
Regardless, when those doors close as they are prone to eventually do, we can find ourselves sitting in the dark staring back at the door that is now firmly closed and longing for what was. Or we might find ourselves on the other side of the door wondering how the heck we got here. We might curse the closed door. The thing is when that proverbial door closes, we can’t reopen it. It might feel like the fog has rolled in and that door can feel like it’s disappearing in the pea soup thick shroud that is enveloping it.
If we were to choose to turn around and look toward the horizon and begin to meander forward with courage and intention, there will eventually emerge new doors. These new doors represent new possibilities that are available to us. New pathways for moving forward. The choice is ours as to which direction we’ll turn and how long we’ll stay fixated on the closed door.
Questions For Reflection:
What door has closed for you?
What caused the door to close?
What are the benefits of the door closing?
What new doors are emerging?
What possibilities might be behind those new doors?