Guest Blogger: Claudia Hufham – Claudiareinvented
I think we’ve all heard the saying “When one door closes, another opens.” This is a quote by Alexander Graham Bell. Which makes sense, because I can only imagine that he had a lot of doors that closed in his life. But that wasn’t the whole quote. He followed that by saying “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.”
Oh my, that is true and hits close to home. I have spent an inordinate amount of my time, focusing on that closed door. Cussing it, hating it, pining over it, crying about it and regretting it.
Paralyzing
After losing my job, I was paralyzed by that door that was now closed. My life was turning upside down and I was in a panic about what I was going to do, how was I going to pay the bills, what would people think and worst of all, what my purpose is, as if my job defines me as a person.
Ten months later, better, but still struggling with that closed door, my daughter sent me that quote in a text message. What she didn’t know was that it happened to be on a day that I was really struggling.
“When one door closes, another 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.”
I guess Oprah would have called this an AH HA moment.
I have been so focused on the closed door, that I haven’t looked up to see the doors that have been opened for me. My most favorite being my blog and writing.
Out of Nowhere
I am not sure how or exactly when I had the idea to start a blog; or even why it came to me. Not for one second in my entire life had I thought about writing anything, much less a blog! I had no idea how you create a web page or what I was going to write, but it was something I was suddenly passionate about doing.
Calling my daughter, who knows a lot about this kind of stuff, I asked for her help. At this point she knew how sad I was and would have done almost anything to help her Mom out! She came over one night after work and together we created www.claudiareinvented.com. There it was. Out of my head and onto the world wide web.
Could that have been the Universe opening that new door for me? I began to write and write and write. Where any of this was coming from I didn’t know. I never thought of myself as a writer, I was just getting my thoughts and feelings out. It was my therapy; my release.
When I published that first blog, I had no expectations that anyone other than my family would read it. There is SO much information out on the web, who would ever randomly find my blog and read it? Who would take the time to comment and tell me how much they liked it or how they could relate? I was blown away. The blog then led me to Kuel Life’s Jack Perez reaching out to me, which led to all of you. Doors are opening all the time.
Into Perceptive
Recently, I ran into a friend that is originally from Vietnam. She had spent the last three weeks there; visiting family and her 72 year old uncle came back to the US with her. He has never been to the US and I couldn’t wait to hear what they were going to do while he was here. She told me that he had a bucket list and they were going to try and get as many things checked off as they could.
I was eager to hear what was on this list. What would someone from another country and in this case another world, want to see and do? She said, “Claudia, you need to understand that he comes from a different world and what he wants to experience you are probably going to think is very simple.” She went on to tell me a couple of things on the list, he wanted to try pizza and he wanted to ride on an elevator.
I almost cried. To think that here I am all bound up in this world of “closed doors” and worried about what was going to happen next and there are people out there that are happy about eating pizza and riding in an elevator for the first time!
Valuable Lessons
What I have come to realize is the closed doors are just as valuable as the open ones. Maybe even more. The lessons that I’ve learned, the opportunities, that I would have never paid attention to unless forced by the door that closed.
The fact is, that I have been surrounded with open doors my whole life. Focusing on those that were closed door was where I was going wrong. Once I realized that other opportunities were all around me and I wouldn’t have seen them unless I was forced to, things changed. It seemed even the air around me changed. It was fresher, somehow better.
Those closed doors are tools that have been forcing me to change direction. That new direction has led me to find other doors that I would have never even thought were possible. Realizing that just because something has ended, doesn’t mean I have to start all over. I just have to start from where I am and move forward. The plan is not mine, it belongs to the universe and I have to be open to it.
Things Learned From Closed Doors:
- There is always something to be learned from a door that closes. Lessons about what you don’t want, what you learned while you were there, and making room for new experiences.
- I’ve learned a lot over the last year. That closed doors are more often than not a blessing.
- That moving forward is harder when I am focusing on the problems, those closed doors. When I focus on those open doors it’s a piece of cake. When I stop to thank the universe for closing that door and nailing it shut, my future is brighter.
If you are struggling with a closed door in your life, I hope you will take a moment and look up. Become aware of all those doors that are opening, and if you can’t see them yet, hang on, you will. Try to live in a place of appreciation for all you have and for all that is to come.
Remember – “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end” – Semisonic Closing Time
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About the Author
Claudia Hufham is a blogger, mom to two grown kids and a Boxer/American Bulldog, who found herself looking for a new career at age 59. In her quest to reinvent herself and save her sanity, she started a blog. Her humor and down to earth story telling of her life lessons have led her to be featured on sites like Feedspot.com. You can read more from Claudia at Claudiareinvented. You can follow Claudia on her Instagram and FaceBook Page as well.
Claudiareinvented is featured on Feedspot as one of the Top 10 Women Over 50 Blogs
