D - DOOR TO MY HOUSE

When I was a child, my folks would always make sure they looked after my house. I rarely had to worry about keeping the house in order while they had my back. Therefore, at that age, I wouldn't care whether the door was left carelessly open, or whether it was kept securely shut. I knew there were people around to ensure my house was safe at all times. Those were the best days of my life.

A few years down the line, when I was old enough, I got a chance to manage my own house independently. I somehow felt my house was always empty. I then decided that I wouldn't keep the doors shut. So I left the door wide open, and soon enough, hordes of people began entering and leaving my house at will. Some of them stayed for a long time, some left in a hurry, but most of them (barring a few kind souls) made sure they took something along with them while on their way out. As a result, my house was left ravaged and broken down within no time.

I then realised it would be wise to be a little more careful with the safety of my house. Therefore, I decided to keep the door shut at all times, and to open it only when someone trustworthy made an attempt to arrive at the door and to knock on it. This approach didn't help much though. Not many showed up at the door. The few people who did were those who had come by to sell their wares. Because I hadn't gotten a peephole made for the door then, it was hard for me to identify who had come calling. As a result, I was invariably forced to welcome even unwanted guests and intruders whenever I opened the door. Consequently, I ended up giving away all that I ever had in return for things that I didn't need. To make matters worse, sometimes people would knock at the door and scoot as soon as I would open it, leaving me deeply frustrated. 

At this juncture, I decided to get a peephole installed. It felt like my best decision ever. I could finally see who was at the door. It helped me get rid of the menace of unwanted guests and pranksters. I realised I could now also decide whether or not to open the door when loved ones and friends came by, especially at times when I wanted to be alone. The peephole gave me a great sense of control. Never before had I felt so powerful.

And so for years together, I exercised my power and control to my heart's content. I could now decide who could enter my house. My loved ones and friends saw the power I yielded, and could do nothing about it. I was finally happy. Life was finally good...or so it seemed.

Till one day, many years later, people stopped coming at all, Friends avoided me, loved ones kept to themselves. Even the pranksters stayed away. I began to felt terribly lonely again. I was slowly sinking into depression. I craved some sort of human interaction.

I had to get rid of my loneliness quickly.

So I finally pulled the door down. I sat myself down on a chair, at the exact spot where the door once stood, and waited for people to show up so I could welcome them.

No one came.

So this was about the door to my HOUSE, right? Or was this about the door to my HEART?

Please feel free to leave comments, whether or not you liked what you read. It's a great way to start a conversation or a dialogue. I might be pretty boring in real life, but I promise I'm a lot more fun in this avatar.

A big thank you to Ashima Raizada for the wonderful image. Started following her only recently. She's an engineer by training with a keen interest in art and photography. She firmly believes that indulging in the arts helps a person overcome his/her limitations and explore new realms of his/her personality. She has a massive fan following on Instagram. Take a look at her photography skills and you'll know why she has more than 28,000 followers. Her Instagram URL is https://www.instagram.com/ashimaraizada

Previous posts in the A to Z Challenge - April 2017:-

A - All Apologies

B - Baptism
C - Chains