Week Two!
Hey, you know that super-simple, basic human thing I promised I would do at least once a week? Yeah, I didn't do it. At least not that I can remember. I don't know why, maybe I was always in a hurry, maybe me and the other person were never properly positioned, or maybe it's just because we only had school three out of the last seven days, but it doesn't really matter. I don't want to talk about that. I want to discuss another aspect of door-holding I've been thinking about recently: mindfulness.
I know, mindfulness, cue the laughter, groans, etc. But aside from the reputation it and the people who practice it have, I think we can all agree it's an important trait to be able to access, and often necessary for enjoying life and all its moments. I think there is a difference in mindfulness when hurriedly walking through a door, trailing one arm behind you for whoever's there to pick up the door-slack (that's not a phrase) and when pausing, pulling the door all the way open, acknowledging the other person and your shared experience, then sprinting away because now you're even later to that thing you were hurrying off to. Of course, depending on the situation, there's no shame in either option. This week, though, I'm going to try to be a little more mindful, and I encourage you to, too.
I feel like most of the time I end up holding the door for people it's completely unplanned and most often because someone else happened to be walking right behind me and I feel bad closing the door in their faces, so I guess you just got unlucky this week.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about holding the door open behind me as a way to acknowledge people. This might be an unpopular opinion, but until now, I always though it was uncessary unless they are old, handicapped, or the door locks after you let go of it.
ReplyDeleteThis is so poetic. Sometimes we get caught up in our goals that we forget to be grateful for the things that allowed us to dream in the first place. Mindfulness is such a powerful thing, I'm glad you were able to make something out of what may have been a roadblock for most.
ReplyDelete