Friday, March 7, 2008

Can you too not see the Stable Door?

Sometimes it is said of unobservant people that they are so blind that they wouldn’t see a stable door unless it hit them. I don’t know about you, but I am thinking that I too fit that Category. I can’t say that I am particularly happy to admit this but it turns out to be true in my case.
When in South Africa, particularly in the rural areas with the African people, they nearly all had normal-door size, two-piece Stable type doors on their Mud-brick homes. This was very practical as it allowed fresh air and light, into these smallish round huts that only had two small windows opposite each other and the door. It also allowed this light and fresh air to enter the huts, whilst at the same time restricting the chickens, dogs, pigs, and occasional goat, from entering their homes.
So in South Africa we were used to seeing these doors and even our last home there had a set on the Kitchen door. (Although I hasten to add we lived in a normal house and not a mud brick, grass roofed Hut! Occasionally slept in them, but never permanently lived in one!)
However here in Australia, they are not that common at all, particularly in the city and suburbs, like where we are now. However I did ‘notice “ one the other day. I say notice, because after living in this house for over 3 months, I suddenly discovered that a door I normally use at least once a day, if not more, was of this two–piece Stable–door type. It was the Garage side door. However it had been fixed in such a way that I never noticed that it was actually a 2-piece door, and only discovered by accident when I touched what I thought was a solid board only to find it was only fixed at the top and acted as the swing bar that either kept it all together or let each part go its separate way.
Apart from being rather embarrassing that I had been using it regularly, literally months, without recognising its true purpose and value, I also had to wonder how many other otherwise equally obvious things I was missing out on, perhaps even to my deprivation and loss?
What applies to me, may even apply to you too! Are there things around you that you see regularly but fail to fully recognise and appreciate? Maybe you too might need to make a new journey of discovery too? Not into the outside world, but just out, in and around where you are now? What say you? Are you prepared to make that journey and to try and see things through fresh eyes and recognise and give everything its true value, worth and due? Over to you for comment!

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