Opening Doors
When I was in 6th grade, my writing teacher had us walk around the school, practicing holding open doors for each other. He was preparing us for a school trip, during which I don’t think I was ever the first one through a door. But he wasn’t everyone’s teacher, so I found myself adapting what he had taught us, so that I could still say that I listened.
Years later, someone mentioned to me that everyone likes to stand out in their own way. Or maybe I read it somewhere, or maybe I just got to thinking. Either way, I had been picking up quirks from characters from books and movies for years, but at this point I decided that I wanted to do something small, something that didn’t get in the way of anyone, but some quirk that I knew I had invented. So I changed the way I opened doors, pushing the handle up instead of down. The first time someone asked about it, I realized that I was embarrassed to say that I started doing it as a way to feel like I had created something myself. So I said it was a conversation starter.
They only noticed to ask because I had to pivot awkwardly to hold the door for them.
Years later, someone mentioned to me that everyone likes to stand out in their own way. Or maybe I read it somewhere, or maybe I just got to thinking. Either way, I had been picking up quirks from characters from books and movies for years, but at this point I decided that I wanted to do something small, something that didn’t get in the way of anyone, but some quirk that I knew I had invented. So I changed the way I opened doors, pushing the handle up instead of down. The first time someone asked about it, I realized that I was embarrassed to say that I started doing it as a way to feel like I had created something myself. So I said it was a conversation starter.
They only noticed to ask because I had to pivot awkwardly to hold the door for them.
Comments
Post a Comment