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When One Door Closes, A Few May Open

A few days ago, I was walking our beloved dogs when I fell on the ice. Living in New England amid winter, this is not unusual. Now being a woman of a certain age, the concern is not so much about the fall but the aftereffects. As I am on the ground, my little pooches looked at me. I smiled back at them, and cheerfully said, ”Boys, I am fine.” My spill landed on the part of my body, which has padding, and other than being shaken up, I knew I was not injured.

I share this because life is a series of falls which we know. As long as there are no broken bones or massive injuries, pick yourself up and keep going. You never know what might lie ahead.

Take Lessons From Infants

Think about it, as they strive to stand upright, infants in their determination to walk steadily have numerous falls. Yet, their commitment to achieve their goal is unrelenting. They persist until they triumph. These budding little-ones can see the delights in their grasp and will not settle for anything less. We need to remind ourselves of the immense difficulty in accomplishing this developmental task, and yet, if healthy, children do without fanfare. As we get older and life becomes more complicated, we need to remind ourselves of the tenacity of the young. Also, we should ponder the fact that these infants can see that they will miss out if they do not stay on point.

Challenges and Blessings

Over the last few months, I have had some challenges which seemed to converge in December. Now compared to others who have much more to which to contend, excellent health, youthful energy, and opportunity have been my blessings. As of late, however, the burdens felt a bit over the top. Practicing what I preach, I reminded myself that nothing stays the same, and my tenacity prevailed. I had faith that the situation would eventually change.

Recently, I applied for something which I knew might be a long shot. Surprisingly, I discovered my chances were better than I reckoned following my conversation with a committee member. Hence, the waiting game unfolded. At the end of December, the announcement of the winners was to take place. I had not heard anything and contacted the individual with whom I spoke. Most graciously, she informed me that I had been a finalist but not on the final list. My disappointment was more significant than I had initially perceived. Being a woman of faith, I looked to the sky and said, ”I really could use a win.”

Keep Going to Experience The Possibilities

A few hours later, I received an unexpected email from a professional acquaintance regarding an opportunity that appeared out of nowhere. Earlier that day, I had thought about contacting this individual in the not-so-distant future. Now for those of you who subscribe to the principle that this occurrence was simply a coincidence, I appreciate your opinion but do not agree with it. I have lived long enough to reconcile the fact that chance cannot always be the attribution.

Later that day, I had a return call from another colleague whom I had contacted earlier in the week about an idea. We had a long conversation, and this individual was quite receptive to my suggestion. A friend and I are planning to develop more on this concept later in the week.

Although challenges persist, these experiences on the same day reinforce my belief in the possibilities. With diligence, tenacity, and openness, luck improves, and other potentials may emerge.

When one door closes, a few may open, but like the infants all of us once were, we must remain indefatigable in our quest for success in whatever form that is.

Otherwise, you may miss a fleeting opportunity that is behind the door, which is unlocked temporarily.

The Right Door

As difficult as it is to have the door close, take comfort in the fact as I do that the opening it offered at this time was not the right one. The other entries inviting you to cross the threshold may offer far more rewards than you can fathom, and how much better can that be?

What About You?

Have you experienced one door closing but having a more captivating one open? Do you remain open to the possibilities?

Darlene Corbett
Darlene Corbetthttps://darlenecorbett.com/
Darlene Corbett views herself as a life-long learner, a pursuer of excellence, a work-in-progress, and a seeker-of-the-truth. For over thirty years, she has been assisting people to get unstuck. Darlene's primary professional role has been as a Therapist, but now she includes Author and Writer. In 2011, Darlene began putting her thoughts on paper and hasn’t stopped. Many of her blogs can also be found on Sixty and Me, Medium, and DarleneCorbett.com. Penning these articles set the stage for her first book, Stop Depriving The World of You, traditionally published by Sound Wisdom. Throughout her career, Darlene has been described as animated or effervescent which contradicts the perception of a psychotherapist. She firmly believes in the importance of being authentic and discusses platinum-style authenticity in her book. As a believer in pushing oneself as long as one has life, Darlene’s first novel, Visible Forever, will be published in the spring of 2024 by WordCrafts Press.

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20 CONVERSATIONS

  1. Always look forward to reading your posts. In regards to this one, and the last line of one door closing and another opening? Well, it has happened many time is my life and funny as you say, December, the end of the year always seems to be the “Over The Top ” month. Change is always good and due to depth of my faith, I look to God to give me that peacefulness that something else is around the corner. He knows my heart, my soul and I just have to trust that whatever opportunity comes along, it will be HIS doing. I haven’t always been open to change, but I certainly am as I grow older. God Bless

    • Thank you, Lynn! I always appreciate your comments. Yes, change often makes way to more growth. As you, I recognize there is a God who helps us look for the light and gives us hope to be open to the possibilities.💖

  2. Darlene, I enjoyed reading this article and the insights therein. Doors will inevitably close. And, sometimes those doors slam unexpectedly and can leave us wondering what just happened. But, I continue to find that things have a way of working out. For every door that closes, there’s a window waiting for you to see the light shine through. It isn’t always easy, especially when we are experiencing lows.
    But as you so aptly point out, situations do eventually change. As to your looking up and asking for a win, I can relate. I’ve found myself doing the same thing recently. We ebb and flow, and life presents us with a constant variable of change. So, we have a choice, I suppose, and it is up to each of us to decide whether to open the window now and stay blocked by a door for which we no longer hold the key.
    Thanks for sharing your story, Darlene. I do hope the windows that are opening for you bring you fresh air and renewed spirit.

    • Thank you, Laura, for your lovely and thoughtful commentary. I love the window metaphor. Yes, let us make it a floor-to-ceiling ones. The light and fresh air are coming through with your message.💖

  3. Darlene losing, winning, joy, sorry, doubt and wisdom are all part of our journey on our path. I love that you talked about getting up. In truth we must always get up and walk forward toward what is yet to come. We must be bold and walked threw that open door and curious as to what is behind the closed door. Love this article .

    • Thank you, Larry! I agree. It is all about life. I often say, “Be bold.” I am most pleased that you enjoyed this.

      P.S. I need to go to the Facebook feed more often to read your wonderful articles. I enjoy them immensely.

  4. Oh Darlene I smiled reading this. You just are true and blue to what I see in you all of the time – consistent and persistent. You are a champion of your life, you can share your woes and shares are very meaningful to me.

    I can grasp much of what you said. I just can and I find that just relating to what you are saying right now keeps me going.

    I adore and thank you for you stepping up in your writing (and your podcasts).

    Experiencing the possibilities is the only way to find the right one as you say…

    To keeping going!

    To experiencing!

    • Maureen,

      Your response is magical. Thank you! I so appreciate your thoughtful and soulful responses. I am smiling right back at you! I clicked before putting my email in.

      With a smile,

      Darlene

  5. What struck me the most, Darlene, was the part about getting up. I’ve been having huge difficulties with getting my website up. I tend to go in circles when I get this way. But I need to finish one little thing and move to the next.
    Thank you for the reminder.

  6. We must be riding the same waves-or falls and risings, Darlene! I, too, tripped and fell while on a run two weeks ago. I badly bruised and scraped both knees-hadn’t done that since I was 9 years old! I found a dime while flat on the ground. 🙂 Then I got up and finished my run until it hurt too much to continue running.

    Over my lifetime, many doors have closed in my life; many dreams that I have written down or vision boards I created did not end up manifesting. And God kept opening windows as I healed and connected with my deepest hearts desires. What I have valued most in my life I kept walking towards and often in defiance of the expectations of other people or limiting beliefs other people had about me-even through doubts I had about myself.

    Alignment in the core of ourselves helps reveal the flowing path that unfolds as we courageously navigate beyond societal expectations, “rules,” out-dated, or unfulfilling scripts that may have been handed to us by other people.

    My dream of being a decent, healthy, loving, whole, integrated, self-aware, giving person has absolutely unfolded on an incredibly curvy path that included many trips, falls, and heartbreaks. (and likely will include more as this seems to be the design of life-the both/and). My noisy mind has become quieter which allows me to listen and be guided by the heart. I have not ever regretted anything I’ve bravely done. I remain open to possibilities, a humble servant of something far greater than limiting beliefs or exhausting, grasping, chasing worn out ways of living. I believe I have surrendered to trusting the flow and taking actions more consistent with my heart.

    Thank you so much for this wonderful essay! As you can tell, your words/questions resonate!

    • Laura, your beautiful heartfelt language is just amazing. Thank you for this lovely comment. Yes, we who are heart-centered must continue to listen. As always, I appreciate your delicious offerings.💖

  7. Darlene – We always learn more from our falls (failures) than from our wins. The leaders who mentored me allowed me to fail for this reason – because they also say down to discuss “why it went wrong.” Opportunities are the same – as the ones we want do not always work out but patience and a bit of prayer can suddenly produce an opportunity that will be better than we could have imagined. Great reminder through this article – hope young parents read so they realize that their kids need to experience this to grow as an adult.

    • Hi Len,
      I could not agree more. Some parents these days are so fearful of letting their children fall that they are doing them a great disservice about not developing tenacity and resilience. Understandably, if there is bullying involved, their intervention is paramount, but if their child gets a B rather than an A, let them learn that this is life and maybe next time.
      Thank you!💖

  8. Interesting article, Darlene. I have had the experience of one door closing (I must profess I never referred to life’s events, twists, and turns as opening and closing doors but so be it) while another door opened. The quandary always was do I dare walk through this door if I do not know what is behind it. No, I was never an avid watcher of the TV show hosted by Monty Hall where you had to choose a door you wanted to have opened or a box with an unknown something inside. In some instances curiosity got the best of me even though my gut feeling was not to make the move or take a risk. My gut feelings do not often fail me. The vast majority of the time these were job change scenarios. Other times it was different circumstances although none of which I can remember. As the year’s tick by (I will be 64 in March) my tolerance for change is low except if it is a change I was hoping for.

    • Thank you, Joel, for your thoughtful commentary. Being less than two years younger than you, I understand your position. For me, it depends on the change. I continue to be open to many possibilities, which I hope to remain in my grasp.💖

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