Holding open a door

Posted on Sep 17, 2008 in Misc. | 0 comments

Chivalry isn’t dead when it comes to opening doors for people. Not just ladies, either. You go through a door and you turn around and hold it open. Regardless of if you do it for your spouse, friends at work, or a stranger at the store, I’ve noticed a very common occurrence: they push the door open, too. What’s dead, it would seem, is door trust.

I’ve been keeping a very loose tally of my experiences. Probably three-quarters of the time I go through a door and hold it open for someone, they put their hand out and “push” the door, too. Why? I’m standing right there. I’m not talking about the scenario where a big group exits a room and kinda keeps their hand out so the door stays open. I’m right there, turned around with my foot against the door and my hand on the handle. Why is that? At first I thought, “wow, my friends think I’d let this close in their faces,” and then I realized: what if they think I’m not strong enough to keep the door open for an extended period of time (we’re talking 10 seconds here, people)! That was bad. But it got worse: maybe they fear I’d intentionally slam the door on them just to watch them bleed from their noses or spit chicklets?

Perhaps I am just overly sensitive. I’ve noticed they do that regardless of who’s holding the door, so it’s not just me in whom they lack door trust. So that’s something, at least. But next time someone holds a door for you… relax and walk through with a hearty “thanks man!” (or “thanks lady!” but that usually doesn’t go over as well for some reason).

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