OPEN THE DOOR

Last month I was in Italy, someone has to do it if we want to continue with all the fun we are having here. Between the wine, pasta and fashion, there was a small vintage jewelry store that caught my eye. A small place, very romantic looking, I could already see myself coming out with a great “find”. But when I tried to open the door, it was locked. A woman, tiny and not young at all, came to the door with a big question mark on her face. Even without speaking fluent Italian I could understand what she was saying, and it was "what do you want?”

She measured us up and down, I want to say “quickly” but no, she took her sweet time. I felt like we were auditioning for something. Then, she opened the door and said: "Ok, you can come in, but only if you want to buy something, this is not a museum". SHE SAID THAT!! I couldn't  make this stuff up even if I wanted to, it was too bizarre and caught us by complete surprise. My husband thought we should turn our backs, but I felt that if we were “approved” to go in, then yeah, we should do it, there must be something great in there. So we went in, and she, half my height and double my age mind you, locked the door behind us and went back to sit next to her even older husband to watch the show. We were trapped in that small, stuffy antique shop with an Italian couple, trying not to make any sudden movements because there was so much STUFF around us. The only thing I could think of was where is the key to the door and how the f*ck do we get out of here without making them angry. Rest assured, we made it out in one piece.

Here in our neck of the woods, we sometimes see people looking from the window. They are looking and looking, they are getting closer to see the inside, they are taking a photo of our sign, they come to the door, they look and look some more, they put their hand on the door handle. And then they turn around and leave.

What do you make of it?

If you are reading this blog, 95% chance that you opened that door at some point. Weather you made a purchase or not is irrelevant, but you had the curiosity, the confidence, and the adventurous spirit to discover and try something new. It’s the only way to keep life interesting, isn’t it? Maybe it’s the box people are so comfortable in? Maybe the fear of making a conversation? (Unless you are on the phone hahahah).
We should we put a sign outside “LIVE A LITTLE, OPEN THE DOOR”

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-- In the photo: Milan, Italy