Freedom to Change

"Remind me Honey, to let people move beyond who they were in High School."

• Dwight Clark
  

Freedom to Change

You've heard the saying, "When one door closes, another one opens." It's an expression used by many to give words of hope and facilitation to changing circumstances. I used to think I knew the whole meaning of this saying, but have recently discovered another meaning.

You know that a door is a separator. It's used to keep something in or to keep something out. But I've been thinking of automatic doors as of late. Perhaps it's because of the weather.

When I'm driving home during a storm I feel real comfort when I pull into the driveway and see my garage door opening to receive me after the touch of a button. The door has kept the snow and wind out of the garage until I arrive, so that when I drive into the chamber and it closes once again, its cocoon shields me from the external environment. This only occurs smoothly if there's no obstruction and the thing is: I have two dogs.

Sometimes I drive into the garage and push the button to close the door when it stops in mid-close and opens again. Most of the time I don't know the exact cause of this event until I hear the door correct its course and look into a side mirror to see the tip of a wagging tail headed toward my car door. It's then that I know one of my dogs has tripped the door's obstruction sensor.

If the obstruction isn't removed, the door will never close and instead of being a cocoon of safety, the garage becomes just like the environment outside. It's no longer set apart. Keeping the door obstruction free and allowing it to close is really important.

So, when my friend Dwight Clark told me about his experience of running into an old high school acquaintance I was really struck with his tale. He hadn't seen this person in many years so in his mind this guy was forever seventeen and the same. His view of this man was not a positive one so when his acquaintance was renewed, he was shocked at the stature of the "New Man." It was at that point that Dwight had a choice to make.

He could become an obstruction to this man's teenaged door closing, or he could allow that door to close and a New Man door to open. Happily, Dwight made the right choice and demonstrated it as he said to his wife upon leaving, "Remind me Honey, to let people move beyond who they were in High School."

It's impossible for you, and others, to move forward in life if you don't allow doors to close and open. So, begin today to push that automatic door button held within your mind. And, when an obstruction comes wagging its tail, simply wait for it to clear and then push the button again so you can close that door and allow another one to open.