Open the Door

Too often I have pulled back from taking an initiative. I have been working to change that part of myself. Jeremy, age three, helped me learn more about how to move forward rather than stay immobilized by fear or inertia. Jeremy shadows his older brother, a high school senior who plans to enter the criminal justice field. He decided to study how criminals work. One task in this unusual self directed learning project was to make a set of lock picks. As he worked, Jeremy watched him make the picks. The little boy also observed when his big brother, with his mother's permission, actually picked some of the door locks in the house. The big brother then left the lock picks on the workbench and went on to study other criminal methods. Christmas was coming so their mother went to her bedroom and locked the door so she could wrap the tiny gifts in privacy. But the door flew open and there was the three-year-old, lock picks in hand.

"Mommy, I picked the lock!"

"I see you did;" she said. She ordered him out of the room, then laughed and laughed. Later that day his big brother wrapped presents in his locked bedroom. His door opened and in came Jeremy, flourishing the lock picks. The family decided to hide the lock picks, and everyone is now secure, at least for the moment. I learned a thing or two from this little lock picker. His thirst for learning caused him to observe his big brother's every move. When the moment was right, he applied what be had learned, and started opening locked doors himself.

Jeremy inspired me by his determination to learn how to open closed doors. He also taught me a method: follow people who are successfully doing what I want to do, observe them closely, learn from them how to do it, then open that door! I used this approach with playing my guitar and singing. I have been wanting "to go on the road" with it, but was scared to. I sought out a friend of mine, Ron, who chairs a university music department. He encouraged me. We built a repertoire of sing-along songs. Then we went to two assisted living homes. In one home, only one person (a 90 year-old friend of mine) showed up, but by the end of our 30 minutes there were 20 people in the group singing along, and many of us were laughing or crying, or both Ron said if we practiced more, we would be dangerous! A third home has requested a visit from us.

Selling was another door I had dead-bolted against my own entry. However, I wanted to learn to sell my new book for truckers and families, so I sought the help of a national sales manager in another field. She taught me about marketing, promotions, and selling. She also taught me, without trying to, how to enter a room and focus on the prospective buyer instead of being self-conscious. It's working. Both my mentor-friends are Christians who are committed to helping people open new doors of service. I was moved by their generous time investment when I asked for help.

I learned from a child something more of what Jesus meant when He invited us to "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you." If Jeremy has the ingenuity to study the use of lock picks to open inviting doors, I decided I can also find a mentor-friend, prepare, and enter doors formerly closed to me.

Paul Welter has recareered after a long tenure at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He still teaches "Learning from Children" there and leads seminars. Paul's radio show airs especially for farmers and truckers on several midwest stations. He also consults with businesses and organizations in the area of work-weariness.

Paul's books, Heading for Home & Learning from Children are available from FAW.