Hello.
I'm so glad my post - 'Get up + mow : because January shouldn't have the monopoly on fresh starts' - last week, all about giving ourselves a another chance at a fresh start, seemed to resonate with those of you who've been in touch! A very Happy New Year to you all!
How about we head into a brand new week with another thought on the theme of moving on?
Here goes ...
It's a good one. Don't you think?
It's taken from Mr Darwin's Gardener a short novel by Finnish author Kristina Carlson's [if you're interested in reading more about it there's a review of the novel here in the Guardian]. And it made me reach I immediately for my notebook and pen as it was definitely a line to save! And indeed to savour ..
Go on. Roll it around your head one more time ...
"When you shut the doors yourself, there is no need to slam".
Every time I read it I get more out of it.
I can definitely think of a time when I made a clear-headed decision to end something [work-related] that wasn't working out for me and, like the quote says ... I didn't need to make a huge dramatic fuss of it.
No need for a grand exit. No slamming required [although ... that's not the same thing as saying I didn't feel like doing some slamming ... but I resisted].
Just a thank you and goodnight can be enough when you know you've made the right decision.
When you've shut the door for yourself. So ... can I ask ...
- What does the quote say to you?
- Have you ever found yourself making a dignified non-slammy exit?
- Does it change the way you think/feel about the end of something in your life?
- Or does it say something completely different to you?
I'm all ears ...
If you use Pinterest I'd love it if you'd pin my poster of the quote just so it has a chance of getting 'out there'. I really think it will speak to a lot of people.
Further thoughts on taking action are to come this week ... so how about I see you then then?
Julie
Posts
great quote - for me one of the things it highlights is that we do not always have the ability to close the door - sometimes it is closed for us and sometimes we don't realise the door has closed. I totally agree that on those occasions when we can close the door ourselves then it is best to do it nicely - perhaps with a flourish and a cheery wave goodbye but not with an angry or sulky slam. Sometimes a quiet smile to ourselves once the door is shut is just fine.
ReplyDeleteTo me it speaks about not burning your bridges - you never know when your paths might cross again so if you leave nicely in a dignified way it is always easier when you have encounters with these people/organisations again. My DH recently with 8 other people started working in a new location - some of the people he is working with have used the opportunity of moving on to tell people in the old work location exactly what they think of them. Last week the new location has been closed temporarily for up to maybe a year so everyone has had to go back to their old locations - quite a problem for a couple of them who didn't leave with dignity!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a great quote!!
What an interesting quote. For me, I think I find that when I am in a 'door closing' situation, it is best done calmly, once you are on the other side you can have a private rant or self satisfied smile!
ReplyDeleteYes, a great quote, well worth thinking about. I hope I've never slammed a door (I echo the perspective of other commenters about not wanting to burn bridges) except in my imagination. Do you ever have those dreams where you DO 'slam a door' in some outrageous way and when you wake up you are so totally relieved to find it wasn't reality? An object lesson from the sub-conscious that reinforces the quote!
ReplyDeleteNicely thought-provoking, Julie. And d'you know, when my eyes first lit on it, I read it as "When you shut the doors ON yourself, there is no need to slam". That Freudian slip-of-a-read has provoked even more thoughts this morning :).
ReplyDeleteThat is a good one, Julie. I have to admit that my husband does this with much more grace than I do. Thanks for the reminder to do better.
ReplyDeleteWhat a powerful quote. I wish I was in the position to be closing doors right now, instead of slamming them.
ReplyDeleteRinda