Closing doors

As we travel through the corridors of life we are faced with many doors. We choose which doors to open and which to ignore.

Let us follow Barry and see what he does with the doors on his route through life. Probably the first door that Barry became aware of was the door to his parent's room. As he grew older they felt that the time had come to stop the free entry into their domain. Barry now had to knock. Sometimes he was allowed in, sometimes he was met by his father who opened the door a crack and would not allow him to even glance inside before being sent on his way. And sometimes he got a resounding "NO!"

So Barry soon began to realise that a door, although a physical thing, separated him from the mystery on the other side both physically and mentally.

As Barry grew up he became aware of many doors lining his passage through life. The doors all had different appearances. Some were dull and dreary and seemed to offer no promise of fun or possessions on the other side. Barry ignored these doors and sought for something better.

Once while out with friends he came across a door that appeared to be made of opaque blue glass. It intrigued him. He turned the handle but it wouldn't budge. So he knocked at the door. A pair of thin lady's arms encased in long sea green gloves appeared through narrow opening. They reached for his tie and dragged him in. He felt like a rodent slithering through the narrow opening. After what seemed hours the doors erupted open and he stumbled out into the passageway again. He was as white as a sheet, his clothes were in disarray and friends did not know what had caused it and he would never talk about it. The strange thing was a dark mark appeared below his hairline and above his right eye. He tried to wash it off but it remained. It became a permanent mark of his time behind that door.

So some doors are dangerous and others are innocuous. With experience Barry soon began to tell if the door was safe. But still there some mistakes along the way.

He learnt that he could open a door for a quick glimpse inside. He may decide to enter and stay, or he may choose to close the door and move on or he may be shooed out because that door is not for him.

He also learnt that if he chose to enter a door it was never a permanent decision.

When he decided to leave a room it could be for many reasons. Sometimes he would leave the room, close the door but not lock it. It is almost as if he was hoping to come back. I hope he didn't go back because time changes everything and everyone and what satisfied him before may no longer please him.

 
Once he occupied the space behind the door for a long time. Many things happened to him here but suddenly he left the space leading one child, a toddler, by the hand and carrying the other, a mere baby. He fumbled for the key to the door, locked it and threw the key as far from him as he could.