OPEN SOMEONE’S DOOR
By
John Rahme
6am. I’m leaving the café. In my hand I have what I call my heart starter for the day. One coffee to go. Walking toward the door, simultaneously a gentleman is exiting. The gentleman is on my right side as we walk to our exit. Myself, I’m eager to get the heart starter to my mouth in order for the caffeine to start doing the job it has being chosen to do, to wake me up. I take notice that the gentleman who was beside me has items in both hands. I reach the exit before he does just by a nose as they say in horse racing. I open the door, turn around to face the gentleman, and as I am gesturing to him to go through the door first, I say to him, “Go ahead buddy, I got the door for you.”
What happens next, froze me. The gentleman looked at me with total amazement. Eyes wide open and with a confused and astonished look on his face, it seemed and felt like to me that he dealt with a shock firstly, he then smiled at me, said thank you and walked through. In an instance in this small moment of time, it seemed that his body language changes from a person dragging himself around to a person with a bounce in his step as if he had won the lottery.
Now, I stand still to reflect on what had just happened. Why did he have the confused and shock look on his face? And why that fast shift of energy. From what I perceived as a person who had low energy and dragging himself around early in the morning to a person who’s on top of the world. Could not possibly be just to the little effort of opening a door for him? Could it?
One of things that I truly believe in and we so often see it and hear it, is when people generally talk about giving back.
There are many a video or saying relaying the message of giving back to people. Smiling as you walk past them. Saying hello to a stranger. Reaching out and asking, are you ok?
The message I have in this little story is very simple and not complicated. Nor do I wish to drag the message out by filling in paragraphs where not needed. If you have been blessed in reaching your goal or getting one step closer to your goal and this is because of your hard work, dedication, commitment, drive and showing up day in and day out. And you find yourself in a much better position today than you were yesterday. Firstly, I applaud you for all of your hard work. Secondly, there is a person who was in your position yesterday. And that person may be struggling today with life or personal issues. These things might just be getting the better of them that day and they feel that they are losing a battle. Reach out, and help them get to the next step. I’m not asking you to forget all that you are doing and focusing on and letting that person become the sole purpose of your life or to give up what you have for them. All I’m suggesting is that if you have the capability of putting a smile on someone’s face, opening the door for someone who’s hands are full. Then do so.
I am forever amazed at the feeling I get from just saying hello to someone that looks lonely, or giving that person that little attention. Letting them know that the world still has people in it that truly care for your success and wellbeing.
I am not suggesting nor trying to sell you a hippie, overly spiritual message here. What I do suggest and recommend is that its ok to reach out and help someone. It’s ok to reach out and pull someone up.
One of the greatest feelings you could ever receive is the feeling of knowing that you gave a person a limited amount of your time, and by doing that you changed someone’s life for the better. When you do see a person that you helped reach a level or goal that you have previously reached, it will also remind you of the moment you got there. Remembering your own satisfaction of achievement and a reminder of how grateful you should be to have what you have.
If anything you do today, just once, just for a moment. Reach out and pull someone up and let them know that there is someone that cares. For in time, this will come back to you.