third year evan lasseter

I wish life came easy to me all the time— that doors were never shut. Only flung so wide open that the hinges burst off and the frame is an open invitation to walk right through. I wish that every time I walked up the steps to my house I didn't have to fumble my keys or turn on a flash light in the dark. Only that every relationship, internship, opportunity for growth simply fell into my lap. The feeling is unmatched. The convergence of a divine dance, orchestrating the perfect situation at the perfect time, a fully open door into whatever life is calling next. The feeling is unmatched, until it’s not, and we’re inevitably met with a door slammed shut, locked and not budging, suspended in the divine dance, no obvious next move.

So, that is where I currently sit, frozen in the hallway. Floor after floor of open doors have led me here: pressing, questioning, and wondering how to walk right through again. Perhaps it is only fitting that as the temperature drops, life also sees its new season ushering in. And new seasons beg the question of what’s next, where do I go, and how do I get there? But when it seems the lack of an answer is the only answer, or the only doors are shut, maybe we should stop trying to open them.

In our college culture, it seems everyone tries to solve problems by working through them or taking sledgehammers to padlocks and bashing through. But how can we sustain the rigor? How can we sustain through the strain, wear and tear our hearts, bodies, souls and minds endure when a four month semester feels like a year? By staying frozen in the hallway, suspended in the divine dance.

I now realize that the closed doors are not inhibiting opportunity but producing a moment to be still. Cultivating an invitation to be patient. The beauty in the waiting is that the stillness is also recovery, a fresh breath from the rush of the dance. Then, when the universe presses play and glimpses of light peek through cracked doors, we are prepared to fully seize what waits on the other side.

By being still and patient, the next big thing life has to offer meets the full you, a renewed you. Not some beaten and bruised rendition. You flow through the unmatched feeling of being in tune with every breath, every step of the divine dance. The truth is that wide open doors simply aren't worth as much when were limping through them. So be still, patient and allow yourself to recover. Allow yourself to feel the beauty in the waiting and allow yourself to dance.

Beauty in The Waiting