“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.” Alexander Graham Bell
Have you ever been offered the opportunity to do something new but turned it down because you had your mind set on something else? Do you ever find it difficult to let go when it’s time to move on? How open are you to new experiences?
Often Difficult To Let Go of Grief
When a door closes in our lives, the death of a friend or loved one, the end of a job, or bad knees end our tennis games, our tendency may be to hang onto this lost reality. We can’t see that the end of one thing may be the beginning of something else that is equally or more meaningful because we are so submerged in the feelings of loss.
Recently, I lost a friend, a photographer, whose pictures of nature blended beautifully with my nature poetry. Because of that, we created slide and reading presentations for our spiritual community’s weekly celebration. I feel the loss of her as a friend, but I also am grieving the loss of our creative collaboration. It is hard to accept the idea that she and those experiences are gone.
Photo by Elliott Brown
When I first stopped teaching full-time, I started writing more seriously, but I still spent years looking for another teaching job, even when it became apparent that no one was hiring someone with as many years experience as I had. I was afraid not to have a full-time regular job, so I still didn’t commit myself totally to the writing or look for a writing job. The door stood open for years before I was willing to walk through it.
New Opportunities May Lay Behind Open Doors
When I finally committed myself to finishing my memoir, everything I needed magically fell into place. Once it was completed, other amazing things started happening. Years earlier, a medium had told me that when I finished my book, I would meet the man of my dreams. At the time, I thought that didn’t sound very realistic—what did those two things have in common?
I missed the point—following my passion allowed me to be who I truly was and attracted to me someone who could appreciate who I was because he was also a writer. By completing the book and developing a blog, I opened a door. I gained confidence in my abilities and felt I was finally doing what I was called to do. But my love’s side of the story is also about closed and open doors.
His wife died after a long illness and his grief was so deep, he wasn’t sure he could go on. Finally, he came to a point where he decided he could go on, knowing that was what she wanted for him. Eventually, he stepped away from his former life and walked through the open door, not knowing what he would find. Because he was willing to risk stepping into the unknown, we met each other and have created a lovely life together.
Photo by Skadi
There Is Always A Time To Move On
When we cling to the door that has closed, we stunt our own growth. Our lives, like the life of the earth, must move through many seasons just as spring always follows after winter. It is good that we spend time grieving when it is appropriate, but the time also must come when we are willing to look at that open door and walk through it to see what treasures lay on the other side.
We never know when the next good thing will come along, so it is wise to remain open to new experiences. When we choose not to, it is usually because we are afraid of the unknown or feel inadequate. If we learn to let go of those fears, we can better see if the opportunity truly has value for us.
Fear Blocks Us From Choosing New Experiences
Fear is the source of every block in our lives. If we make it a habit to avoid open doors, we strengthen the resistance caused by fear. When we feel fearful, we are reluctant to move forward because our minds focus on our former negative experiences instead of focusing on solving the current problem. Releasing this fear will free us to move through that open door.
Releasing Our Fears Gives Us Courage and Joy
Without fear, we can more easily discern if the new option being presented to us is, in fact, a wise choice. Without fear, we can discern what elements of the situation we need to explore more completely. Without fear, we will be more in touch with our intuition and inner guidance and be open to experience more joy in life.
Open doors are always an opportunity to look at something we may never have considered or that is available because our life or thinking have shifted in some way. It is the open door that lets the light through. But we’ll never be able to experience its healing unless we step through it.
If you would like to know more about how to release your fears and you live in the Asheville/Flat Rock, NC area, consider taking my “Release Your Fears” class at Blue Ridge Community College, Center for Life Long Learning. Mondays March 3 & 10, 1-3 pm, $30. Register ahead at the college or call 828-694-1740. For more information and my video, see Workshops.
© 2014 Georganne Spruce ZQT4PQ5ZN7F5
Related Articles: How to Become Open to Life, Seven Secrets of a Joyful Life, 50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities
Awakening to the Dance 