Doors of Opportunity

There are so many fun punch lines I could have used for this post, but this one will work. Let’s go back to Tuesday.  Election day, schools closed, sick kindergarten daycare provider, so I took the day off.  Door of Opportunity #1 opened up.  I dropped off my 3 year old son at daycare so that my 5-year-old and I could have a well over-due Mommy-Son date.   As parents know, with a blink of an eye, these sweet babies get bigger.  So I walked through this door of opportunity holding my little man’s hand.  We went for hot chocolate and donuts, FaceTimed with the hubs before he went to bed on the other side of the world and had the best conversation about all of the adventures in my little man’s world.  I was so grateful to be his captive audience of one while he told me all about his adventures.  His beautiful face and mind, the truest element of my joy.

“Mommy, take my picture next to this snowman so that we can make one like it when we get home,”

He tagged along in the back of the car for a few errands and made his radio requests along the way.  As we were driving along Highway 1 through a small town, he said from the back seat, “Oh no Mommy, don’t look out your window.  You do NOT want to see this.”  I had already noticed what he didn’t want me to see, but had to laugh that he knew I wouldn’t want to see the sad site on the side of the road.  My boys know I have a bleeding hearts for dilapidated old buildings – or demolished ones. 

“Not another old building, Mommy!” Its a common phrase.

I pulled into the drive way. How could I resist? I had to mourn the loss of the cute little craftsmen cottage and the looming similar fate of its neighbor. That sounds a little dramatic, but I did want to get a closer look at the pile of bones. 

My little man asked, “Mommy, why did they tear it down? What’s wrong with it?”  I could have told him ‘Well sweet pea, some cold-hearted developer wanted the land for a strip mall with three store fronts and a dollar store and that developer doesn’t realize that the impact of his bright idea would actually have a negative impact on the small town rather than a positive ‘ I’m not sure his young mind would understand.  Nor would the small mind of the cold-hearted developer.  So instead, I reminded him of my favorite childhood story, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.  The first time I read it to my boys, I cried – like I did when I read it as a little girl. Oh hello, life calling!  But then my oldest cried too, yes – I just might be doing something right as a Mom if my son shows that much concern and empathy for the plight of the  little pink house.  Oh, be still my beating heart.

Then…”But Mommy, why didn’t they just move this house like they did the little pink house?”…check mate, my sweet boy, check mate.  No answer.  Quick…initiate smoke and mirror strategy!

“Ohhh look at that sweet pea!  Look at that beautiful solid wood door with the demolition notice tapped to it!”  Door of Opportunity #2 just opened.

Is that the original door knob?!  Yes, my friends, it is.

So I dumped out my little man’s pretzels into his cup holder and used his sandwich bag to put this little note in so it wouldn’t get wet in the rain.  It was worth a shot!

I mean…I could have just taken it I suppose…but something about that just didn’t sit right.  The Hubs put it perfectly:

***Please forgive the typos, I promise I know the English language. ***

So we left, my little man and I picked up his little brother and went home to our normal routine.  The next morning, my command was running a motivation formation run for the upcoming Marine Corps Birthday.  242 years never looked so good!  2 miles running together with about 200 Marines to cadence calls in the rain.  Its an amazing thing and truly never gets old – even after 10 years of doing it.  After the run, I made a quick run home to shower rather than fight for one of the showers in the locker room.  On my way back to work, I drove past the demolition sight and saw that someone was there working on it!  Door of Opportunity #3 just opened.  There was a nice man working on pulling out the electric cables prior to the dumpster and backhoe arriving that afternoon.  My new friend didn’t speak much English, but when I explained that I wrote the note, he laughed and shook his head at me.  Then before I knew it, I was helping my new friend walk my new front door the open door of opportunity and putting it into the back of my car!!!!!

We used one of the window weight strings to tie down the hatch the trailer hitch because the door was a little too big.  Shot a quick text to my boss saying, “I’ll explain later, but I’ll be a few minutes late.” I drove carefully back home and BAM!  My Pinterest inspiration dreams for my foyer just came true!

This door is SOLID.  In very good condition.  The wavy glass in the windows is awesome. I had to pinch myself multiple times; it’s mine!!!  It’s going to be our new front door!!!  Can’t you just see the Christmas wreath on it?!  A new window light, some sanding, stain (maybe paint depending on the quality of the wood) and a matching deadbolt.  BAH!  So excited!  I can’t wait to share the refinishing experience with you! A few end notes:

1. Total cost: $Free.99
2. Biggest Lesson Learned: Never close or walk by a door of opportunity.
3. Best Tip: Listening to your 5-year-olds adventures is the best way to start the day and taking a chance is totally worth it!
4. Most Favorite Part: “Oh no Mommy, do NOT look out your window.”

Cheers!

-A.A.