Enjoying the Hallway

I don't know who first said "When one door closes, another one opens." but I believe it's true.  The saying seems to imply that the second door will open immediately, which I've found isn't always true.  Sometimes several doors open and we have to choose which to walk through.

I think of the time between a door closing and another one opening as being in the hallway.  A friend refers to it as being "in the possibilities."  Being there can be stressful.  Or exciting and filled with hope.  It all depends on how you look at it.

Recently I was talking to a couple of friends, both of whom had been in the job hunting mode recently (with great success).  One agreed with me that job hunting stinks.  It can be stressful and demoralizing.  The other friend thought we were nuts.  To her, it's a time filled with hope and possibilities.  Instead of focusing on all the resumes sent with no response, she enjoyed considering what her life would be like if she got any of the jobs she'd applied for.

It's not unlike playing the lottery.  You can buy a ticket and then consider that you probably won't win, the odds are against you and even if you do you'll have to pay all those taxes and people you've never even met will come out of the woodwork to get a chunk of your winnings.

Or, you can think about quitting your job, buying a beautiful new home and car, traveling or buying a yacht or  putting your children through college.  I've found buying a lottery ticket to be a great investment, since for $1 I get a week's worth of fantasizing of living my dreams with no financial concerns.

In the last week or so I've started really looking for the next adventure. preferably one that can help me sock away some retirement money while at the same time doing something of value and of interest to me.

It has been stressful at times but this week, I've been excited to be in the hallway.  Anticipating what might be and what I hope to be rather than focusing on what won't happen.  For example, there's a possibility that involves Myanmar (formerly Burma).  Another based in Rome.  Rome!  Another which would allow me to live at home but still travel.

One or all of those doors might open.  Or, they might not.  But there are lots of doors and I can't wait to see what's behind them.