DOORMAN
On my way to the water cooler this morning, I turned into a doorman.
As I walked from the office area into the factory, where the water cooler is located, two ladies wanted to come through the door. They were pushing flatbed hand-trucks loaded with boxes. What an opportune time for me to be there. I pressed up against the wall and held the door open as wide as possible to allow them unimpeded room.
The lady with the first hand-truck rolled through, but ran into some logistical problems turning the corner. It took her a few tries of backing up, turning, pushing, backing up, turning more, and pushing, to clear the corner.
I waited patiently, holding the door as the lady with the second hand-truck queued up to roll through next. Unfortunately, the boxes on her cart stuck out over the edge a little too far. Though she tried maneuvering and re-maneuvering, the truck just would not go through. I still waited patiently.
Showing discomfort, as if her dilemma was inconveniencing me, she told me I didn’t need to continue holding the door. She’d manage. I assured her it was no inconvenience and that she’d probably need both hands anyway. I continued holding the door. Relief showed in her smile.
Being on the other side of the door, the lady who pushed the first hand-truck had a better perspective of the situation. She saw exactly what the problem was. One of the boxes was caught on the handle of the door. She removed that box. The other lady pushed the cart a foot or so through, but then another box caught on the handle. The first lady removed that box, releasing another foot of progress. She removed one more box. Then the cart, now with its load less wide, rolled through freely as the other lady pushed.
These two ladies worked in tandem to resolve the issue. It took no effort on my part, except for a little patience. I stood out of their way, simply holding the door, allowing them open access to utilize their skills in overcoming the obstacle.
By this time, there was a backup of other people waiting for the bottleneck to clear. Despite their insistence I’d already done my duty, I held the door for them too. Sometimes people feel uncomfortable accepting a simple kindness. But, I was already holding the door, so waiting a few moments more for them to pass was no trouble whatsoever.
There were the usual nervous jokes of them pretending to offer me a tip for being their doorman. I smiled graciously, pretending to accept their tip. I suppose that satisfied their need for parity.
I like holding doors open. I’ve had a lot of experience at it. Holding doors open for others brings much more satisfaction than slamming them shut.
It only takes a little patience to hold a door open to another human being, and the reward is truly satisfying. I recommend everyone become a doorman.
If you're enjoying this over coffee, tea, or whatever, please consider buying me a cup! If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
