Your Key – Part Two

As the summer continues, day by day it seems more difficult to meet up with friends – whether they're moving, working, travelling, summer school-ing, or meeting up with other friends made at the workplace, summer programs, and university. And from this, we see just another sliver of the world of opportunities that lie around us, as we continually grow and take these opportunities.

And thus I continue that note I left unfinished a while ago – about our doors, and our opportunities; where ultimately, our path and life is determined by the choices we make. We spend our lives seeking these opportunities, but that analogy of doors has a second problem.

In this world full of open doors, not only cannot we not enter each and every one of them – doors close. I know I'm being contradictory to my usual tone; whatever happened to "The Door is Always Open"? But I suppose this is where my optimism turns – that moment in our journey when we're cruising along through life and we hit a roadblock. That second we realize something's missing, something's wrong.

Closure. Like when you arrive 5 minutes for a concert and the doors are locked. Like that university rejection. Like being kicked out of a club. Like when the bank refused to give you a loan you so desperately need. Like when that special someone locks you out of their life. Like when you lose someone close and you're left in your own world.

But if you have that clear set goal in front of you, that dream to pursue accompanied by that never faltering determination – you will live a life of open doors. Not that it has to be an easy walk through – an open door can feel like a closed one – but it is an opportunity nonetheless. And I believe it's through the toughest opportunities we take that truly define our character. That's where our most fulfilling accomplishments are found.

However, just as we seek opportunity, I believe we seek closure. And there are those times in life where we have got to close doors before we can step forward. It is because we humans can be such doubtful creatures, unsure of ourselves and unsure of our surroundings. And it's because of this uncertainty, we spend so much of our lives circling around. I'm not saying we don't learn anything while we are stuck in our doubts, but sometimes we just can't move forward until we meet up with that dreaded closure.

This can be closing the door on temptations that direct us away from our goals. It can be closing that door behind us so that we can keep moving forward in our lives. It can be closing the door of an event, an incident, a person, or a part of ourselves – before we allow ourselves to move on.

We are doubtful creatures. That's because we know that things are wrong and things are right. And also because we can choose between things that are wrong, and things that are right. And thus, we – ourselves – can be wrong or right. Despite all our other human blindness – we have this knowledge, and with this knowledge, this sight – we are [temporarily] left in a world with all these endless doors and opportunities.

And what do we seek? Direction. We are constantly looking for direction – and through Google Maps, our peers, our family, our heart, and our determination, and a Guide that leads us from beyond this world of opportunities – we can push ourselves beyond our blindness and towards the light.

Direction creates our paths, our lives – and it's about moving forward: we've got to make decisions, and similarly, we've got to close doors. But closed doors can lead to new opportunities, and in this maze of opportunity – just remember, you've got the key.