When one door closes

[Image credit: nattavut]

When one door closes another door opens, but we so often look
so long and so regretfully upon the closed door,
that we do not see the ones which open for us.
~ Alexander Graham Bell

I’ve been looking forward to this evening all week.  Although I’ll be saying goodbye to a dear friend — someone who has played an integral role in my life over the past eight years — later on I’ll be saying hello to a new friend who I actually met through the first lady.  Thanks to social media, it will be easy to remain in touch with my cross-country friend so that door will never be completely closed.  And as for my new friend, I’m excited for a girls’ weekend getaway.  I wish that gaining one relationship didn’t mean losing the other, but I think that concept proves true with many of life’s bittersweet moments.  Perhaps it’s all about forfeiting one dream to gain something even better … in time.

Which door do you see?

Wanting more time

[Image credit: healing dream]

Prior to last month’s getaway, I promised myself I’d be thankful no matter how much time I was able to spend with family and friends.  But not surprisingly, after picking up where we left off, I always wanted more hours in the day to catch up, share our hearts or simply hang out.  So instead of appreciating what I did have, the collective moments were cloaked in a film of bittersweet.  Someone once told me that wishing you had more time — on a vacation or outing or whatever it was — is a good thing because it means you didn’t overstay your welcome.  I’ve been back from my travels for over two weeks now, and I still wish I had more time to reconnect and relax in the presence of those who have shaped me.  And although I plan to visit longer on my next trip, I’ll want more time.  But that’s a good thing.

Are you typically ready to pack it in when your time is up?