“When one door closes, another door opens, but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us” – Alexander Graham Bell.
So what exactly is a door? Google defines it as “a hinged, sliding, or revolving barrier at the entrance to a building, room, or vehicle, or in the framework of a cupboard.” This means doors have not one, but many different designs, sizes, shapes, textures, and purposes. When one walks through a door, new connections are made and new possibilities open up. Since this Alexander Bell quote is often used in relation with opportunity, I would like to connect the two. Opportunity is defined as “a set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something.” Therefore, when one walks through a door, they are acquainted with new sets of circumstances that enable the happening of different actions and things, thus opportunity. What I want to get at is that this quote can affect our perception of opportunity because we have preconceptions about what a “door” is from our past experiences.
First off, there’s so many types of doors out there, some we might not have even considered in the original run through. There’s front doors, back doors, garage doors, fridge doors, freezer doors, pantry doors, screen doors, car doors, closet doors, secret bookcase doors, trunks, submarine hatches, bank vaults, and the list could go on. What I’m alluding to, is that each door is metaphorical representation of a different form of opportunity. Also, YOUR DOOR OF OPPORTUNITY MIGHT NOT EVEN BE A DOOR, IT COULD BE A WINDOW – something you hadn’t even noticed.
I would like to encourage you all to creatively consider your circumstances in the future. For example, if you smile at someone, you’re giving them a prime opportunity to smile back. That’s pretty obvious, but perhaps if you dropped a few cents in line at a gas station and were in a rush to leave and didn’t pick it up, it could be an opportunity for a parent to show their children the magic of a penny on the ground face up – how to wish for things and use their imagination. They could then leave the penny face up on the ground for someone else, take the rest of the change and give it to charity, or invest it in their future. It could also be an opportunity to spread good wishes, make art, learn how to flip or spin a coin, and a medium to share their enthusiasm about their day with others. The kids might then show an interest in flipping coins, to which the parent or the neighbors they told could show them videos of gymnasts flipping. They would easily be intrigued by the videos and want to learn more about gymnastics; they might end up taking lessons down the road, meeting some cool people, making some videos themselves, and inspire others all from this one little moment that could have easily been written off as meaningless. It might have been the kids’ wishes to learn how to flip a coin anyways, which would be really cool (I’m not saying litter your change everywhere, I’m encouraging you to maximize the potential of a moment). Your golden opportunity will be tucked away in something small; you will get to be the gatekeeper and unlock the potential in your own unique ways for others and yourself. Keep your minds peeled; these opportunities have become so frequent that our preconceptions of particular moments have made us oblivious. One word might have the impact of a thousand pictures on someone, so be thoughtful and don’t get too caught up in your own life; you never know who else’s you’ve already changed today and will continue to change.
