THE ADVENTURE OF OPENING DOORS

Opening the Door, Jamestown, NC

“I say, follow your bliss and don’t be afraid, and doors will open where you didn’t know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss, doors will open for you that wouldn’t have opened for anyone else.” --Joseph Campbell

My two-year old grandson was visiting this Easter weekend and quickly discovered the pass-through door between the kitchen and dining room.  He immediately became fascinated with the ability to turn the door knob and move between the rooms to new adventures and imaginings.  He’s a naturally curious little guy which will serve him well in future life and the door provided endless play time in coming and going.  First, he drove his lighted fire truck through the matrix into new dimensions and then wheeled his tow truck into the portal to new adventures.  Soon he was beckoning his parents and Papa to open the door at his request or opening the door for them as they politely knocked on the other side to obtain entrance into his world.

Joseph Campbell has also written that "people say what we're all seeking is the meaning of life...I think what we're seeking is the experience of being alive."  There’s no better model of behavior for being alive than to experience the life of a two-year old at play.  There are no filters to edit out the most basic wonders of the world around us that we can no longer see or appreciate.  There is no bias or fear of giving strangers a high five if our family has introduced us.  An empty container, a cardboard box, a small fallen tree branch or an everyday door can be the source of endless entertainment when the imagination is engaged.  Having someone whose voice you recognize that is knocking on the other side makes for great fun when you open the door and find them waiting to greet you.

A famous painting exists of a prominent closed door with Jesus standing outside knocking. The subtle focal point of the painting is that the door does not have a door knob on the outside.  It’s the best example I can think of that illustrates the concept of free will which we all have been endowed with to either invite him into our lives or to shut him out.  But I believe that if we follow our bliss and freely open the door, we will encounter joy in life and experience the priceless adventure of being alive forever!