Our living room has a big sliding door leading out to our terrace. Every morning, I open it to let fresh air in. While waiting, I usually meditate on the couch. On most days, it’s quiet, but on some, closing my eyes for 15 minutes can be a scary endeavor.
Once in the summer, a cat waltzed right into our house and plucked itself down in front of our bed. During the hot months, wasps and bugs galore might fly in, out, or through. Sometimes, a bird makes itself at home on one of our outdoor chairs, and lately, a family of now not just one but two hedgehogs has been hanging out on our terrace.
If you leave the door open, you never know who might come visit—but if you want fresh air, fresh ideas, fresh inputs to enter your life, an open door is the only way.
Even if you can’t always watch it, keep “the door to the unknown ajar,” as Richard Feynman put it. Most of the time, nothing scary will come in, and even what startles you at first might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
