Opportunity Awaits

Brick Wall and Open Door
Taylor, TX

Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.

Thomas Jefferson

Optimism is an essential ingredient to survival.  Opportunities lie behind closed doors.  The optimist is willing to open and peer to see what's behind the door.  Lately, I've been peering behind lots of doors some are filled with surprises and some lead absolutely nowhere.   The most outrageous openings are the ones that appear to be be bricked up before I even get a chance to come in.


Whether I like what's behind the door is irrelevant to my survival pursuit.  The fact remains, that good or bad, I've got to keep knocking on doors, turning knobs, and peering in.  Life is filled with doors some are open and some are shut.  None of us knows what lies behind each.  That's why deep inside of me despite the anxiety and despair, I keep trying and knocking on doors.


Sooner or later a door is going to open for me and I will be prepared for the opportunity that lies beyond the portal.  Being ready to take advantage of the door mysteries is a lesson that I've had to re-learn.  Like photography, I have to be ready to capture the moment in front of me.  It may only last a fraction of a second, so I need to be prepared and move swiftly.

Try Again

One who fears failure limits his activities.

Failure is only the opportunity to more

intelligently begin again.

Henry Ford

One of my favorite pass times in both Santa Fe, NM and in San Miguel de Allende, GTO, Mexico is photographing doors.  The doors all have different characters, color, textures, hardware and stories.

In time, as we progress along our journey, we also encounter many doors;   most appear to be shut, few are wide open.  Shut or open, we will never know unless we put forth the effort, approach the doors and turn their door knobs and handles.  Those that are indeed closed may have codes and keys that lie underneath not to distant doormats.  You will never know unless you try.  What do you have to lose?

Think about the doors in your life.  What appears to be obvious may not be as obvious as you think.  Try opening the closed doors.  Don't simply stop because it looks closed.  Remember doors are meant for opening and to pass through.

Doors: Opened and Closed

Life presents us with many doors.  Some are interesting and some are not.  Some are closed and some need to be opened.  In Mexico, what's behind each door is usually more interesting than the building's facade.  Doors are simply ornaments to draw us in.  It seems that each is unique and announces a different message.  It's easy to be drawn to the doors but never knock or even enter.

They are portals; some entrances to splendid homes, churches, jardines (gardens), simple homes, and even empty lots.  Behind each door awaits an adventure.  An entrance to a different journey.  Doors are really the starting point.  The beginning of new journey.  Within one journey are many doors and new beginnings.  We choose the doors to knock on and which ones to open.

Some doors are cracked open and you can sneak peeks of what is in store.  Others are wide open and showcase whats ahead.  While others are shrouded in mystery.  The best are the ones that are closed because the mystery remains.

There are new doors today all of different sizes and shapes.  Some are closed, some are partially open, and some are wide open.  I choose to knock on doors and see where the journey leads me.