Door

I was reading something before that I had never thought about.  For me it was both simple and yet profound.  They were talking about the difference between windows and doors.  The writer says as a tourist they collect doors.  They do not physically remove them, but I guess where they can they get a photo of them.
They were saying that a window is for looking out while a door is for entering in.  I guess why that meant something to me is I likened it to being an observer (window) or participant (door).
I know for some things I will only ever be an observer.  Like concerts.  I am one of many who go to see a favourite person or band.  I remember going to see my favourite singer/guitarist.  I was absolutely wrapped.  I had a front row seat.  It was in a university hall though.  More people arrived than expected.  So they added another row.   To the front.  I no longer had a front row seat.  I had a second front row seat.
Didn’t matter though.  It was all I hoped it would be.  The artist’s name was Phil Keaggy who was considered to be (by those also considered to be) one of the best guitarists in the world.  Playing with him was Phil Maderia who I had only heard on a record.
There is a lot I observe as if through a window.  World events unfold.  I watch the news.  I attend community events.  They are all for there to be an interaction between the participants and observers.
Yet going through a door is for me a completely different experience.  I participate.   I am one of the ones who observers (it is hoped) come to see.  I have set up and sat under a marque.  I have sat behind a table.
Merril and I went to a market recently.  We, the observers, bought an apple tart from the participants.
I reckon there is a huge difference between looking through a window and going through a door.  I do not want to end up feeling I spent most of my life observing rather than participating.  I hear it a lot.  People regretting they did not spend more time involved rather than observing.
For sure participating can be messy.  Merril and I participated in something that was flooded out.  It was not a touch and go thing but almost a life and death thing.  When we looked on-line it was like the cloud was just over the area we were.  The rain was torrential and huge tents looked like they could come down.
As a participant, things do not always go to plan.  But more often they do, and often they are talked about fondly for days.  Going through doors can be scary as I do not necessarily know what is beyond, but it is definitely more invigorating that looking at something through a window no matter how nice the view is.