With Doors Wide Open: A Thank You Note

Written by Paige Farnworth  | Media by Thomas Hajny

[divide]

My arms ache under the weight of my stack of binders and books. I race across Scott Field to get to class, crazy hair flowing behind me, because I am running late. Stress tightens up my shoulders and furrows my brow. I am not in the best mood. A young man sees “the struggle bus” that is me behind him and decides to hold the door open for me. I crack a smile and thank him for his friendly gesture. As the day goes on, I notice that almost every door I come to is opened for me, whether that is by a friend, a stranger, a professor, a guy, or a girl. Sometimes, it’s just a brief passing of the door and other times it’s that awkward, “I will stand here and wait three minutes for you to get to the door so I can hold it open for you”, moment. Either way, I find myself noticing something I should note on a daily basis: the kindness of my community.

[clear]

How nice is it that Greenville is a place full of door holders? It is a common courtesy in the world these days, but at Greenville it is more than that. At Greenville, door holding is a symbol of the kindness of our community. I will admit, door holding can be motivated by intentions to flirt or peer pressure (because who wants to be the one jerk that doesn’t hold the door), but I would like to believe that our GC community has perfected this small act of kindness. Yes, that is what it is, an act of kindness. It may not seem like a big deal to us but it may be a big deal to someone who is having a hard day. A smile and holding the door is such a simple and quick way we can communicate to each other that we care. Isn’t that what we would like to do?

[clear]

In our days of hustling and bustling about, how many times do we thank those that hold the door open for us? Do we always make sure we go out of our way to hold the door open for someone else? We should. Yes, it is something small but it is a sign of respect. When we hold doors open for each other we are saying: “Here, let me help you today” and “I am thinking of you, not just myself”. By doing something as simple as holding a door, we’re encouraging community and friendship.

I am writing to say this: I see you being kind. If you did not catch my breathless “thank you” as I swept through the doorway, I would like to say it now. Thank you young man for holding my door. I really needed it. Thank you to my friends and peers who hold doors open for me on a daily basis. Thank you GC for holding doors for each other, even when someone may not thank you or return the favor.

(*raises glass *) So here’s to you, door-holding citizens. You go. Thank you.