Sandwiched
With all the excitement lately surrounding the Avengers: End Game movie, my thoughts have turned to my own superhero activities through the years. Not to brag, but I, too, have a secret identity, and you finally get to meet her today. I’m Door Woman.
I first realized how important it is for people to open doors for one another when I sprained my ankle 20 years ago. You really learn how kind people can be – and how thoughtless – when you’re on crutches. The day after the sprain, I had to judge a debate meet at a local high school. While I spent most of the day sitting with my leg up, I did have to hobble from one classroom to the next.
Some of the kids were awesome and practically ran to open up doors for me. Others were lost in their own world and I felt invisible when I approached a door. I vowed that day to always keep an eye out for people who need a little help in this area.
I greatly appreciated the kindness of this act when Jonathon and Jacob were toddlers years ago. It was such a tremendous relief to not have to wrestle with a double stroller/car seat AND a door when we went out and about.
As they got older, my husband John and I always reminded them to get the door for others. We still do, which often leads to some eye rolling.
Most recently, I’ve been grateful for the human door openers of the world when I take my mom out for lunch, dinner, doctor appointments, etc. She’s used a walker for a couple of years now. A lot of places have the automatic push-button door openers, which are a Godsend. But … a lot of them don’t.
Most of the time I can get the door for Mom, but sometimes my hands are full with both of our purses, some to-go boxes, packages, etc. It’s always a relief when a restaurant host/hostess, office worker, or just a kind stranger on the street rushes over to get that door for us.
So I like to pay it forward and get the door for anyone in need whenever I can. It often leads to a bit of confusion when I’m with family and friends, as I’ll leap up suddenly, exclaim, “I’ll be right back,” and tear across the room (hallway, sidewalk, street, whatever) to grab a door for a stranger. Most of the time I don’t even have time to change into my superhero costume, but Door Woman gets the job done anyway.
They say it’s always the little things that make a difference to others, so I’ll keep on being Door Woman for the rest of my life. And if others want to borrow my secret identity, that’s okay, too.