Opening Doors

A beautiful doorway is pregnant with possibilities. Just beyond the threshold is a separate place waiting to be discovered. In Northern New Mexico, the austere adobe with its unique form and neutral colors favor the region, blending harmoniously with the landscape. In glorious contrast the colorful doors and windows are like blossoms in a garden or a garnish on hoers d’ oeuvres, they add just the right flavor to the savory palette of the desert. Each a signature sentinel of the palace or casita it represents.

A screen door claps. A garden gate whines as it is opened with care. A bell sounds as a door swings inward. Open it and step in. Be greeted by the grin of an old friend; the smell of coffee or bread, or in Santa Fe the pungent smell of oil paint mingled with chilli peppers. Entrances and doorways, make us stop to knock or pause and try the latch. Windows block out what we do not want inside and let what we do pass through. Doors shut, stop the flow, unless they are dressed to invite us in. Looking through a window at what lies behind the glass, leaning to see what’s happening outside.

When I see a door painted the color of blue flax, summer squash, or lipstick red, I want to change course and go inside. Someone is inviting me to visit. I can feel it. It is warm, enticing to see a doorway proudly wearing its favorite color and asking for attention. With so many moments in life when doors close and endings happen, the opening of a beautifully hand-hewn door marks a passage of hopefulness. Enjoy the pleasure of opening doors; the unique and creaking, the well worn or freshly washed. Enter.