The simple things are the most difficult things to understand.

While this may or may not be true for you, this has certainly been the case for me. Complex formulas, mathematical problems or even philosophical conundrums; their complexity makes sense. But why I cannot seem to be able to deal with the “small stuff” sometimes, well that continues to baffle me almost every single day.

I really desire to find a way to understand, accept, enjoy and most importantly, learn from the simple things in life. I am convinced that it is only once you master your ability to deal with the simple experiences and the “small stuff” that you can gain a greater understanding of what I shall refer to as, ” the bigger picture.”

I’d like to share two seemingly simple stories (or even just moments) that I experienced recently. On a very ordinary Monday these two quite minuscule instances allowed me to gain some much needed perspective.

And for this, as always, I am thankful.

Both of the stories I am about to share include a door. One door was and is still static, the other revolving.
Let’s begin with the static door…

I’m running through my office. Why I was running I am unsure. I guess somewhere deep in my subconscious I felt that saving a few seconds of my day would provide my life with a substantial benefit. As I was running, I saw the door ahead of me, I saw that it was locked and I saw that I would need to grab the handle and twist it as I ran into it in order for me to not physically run into it. You can guess what happened next.

So I ran right into the door at full speed and had I been a character in a cartoon, this would be the moment that I instantly turned into a pancake and a funny ” wha wha whaaaa” noise would follow. In reality all that happened was that I, along with about 13 of my colleagues sitting but two feet away all shared a giggle as I peeled myself off the door.

So why was this door and this moment that I shared with the door symbolic?  I’ll get back to this point in about 250 words.
Now about the revolving door…

Earlier that same day, I found myself standing in the lobby of my building. I was on my iphone and I was terribly distracted with text messages, emails, photos and all the clutter in my mind. Almost robotically I walked into the revolving door and then in my state of distraction, I simply forgot to move. I just stood there for a second before I felt the heavy glass of the revolving door physically catapult me forward as I flew into the street. I gained my bearings and just stood there for a moment. This was certainly a moment worth noticing.

So what’s the symbolism here?

Life is like a revolving door. If you just stand there, it will most certainly kick you in the ass and throw you onto the sidewalk. Whether you fall flat on your face or not is another question, but the point is, you cannot fight the constant evolution and change in life, just like you cannot simply walk into a revolving door and just stand there. It just won’t let you.

All day after my revolving door incident I could not help but think about both the simplicity and the poignancy of the moment that I had shared inside the revolving door. Yet it was only later that afternoon when I had face planted into the static door that it all came together for me. I had my ” aha” moment.

And as always, it comes down to balance.

No matter how fast you run, push and fight to get through a door, if it is closed, all you will do is give yourself a headache. And no matter how much you might not want to move and take a step forward at other times, if life is changing and revolving around you, it will take you with it despite whether or not you want it to. The only way to know whether or not you are dealing with a static door or a revolving door is to be present, to observe and to not fight whatever the reality may be.

Things are changing constantly. My friend Rafi told me the other day: “I found an awesome scarf. And then I lost it. And then the following day, I found another one and it was totally different but nice.” As soon as I heard this, I thought about my door moments and about balance and change and it all made sense!

Find a scarf? Wear it! Lose it? Be ok with it! Another one will come to you. And yes, it might be different, but it will be nice in it’s own way. Life is too big for us to fully understand, but if we accept that sometimes we walk, sometimes we run and sometimes we stand still and just go with that, I feel that life gets sweeter and might even make a bit more sense?

One day at a time…

May 2013 Issue