When One Door Closes...A New One SHOULD Be Opening

Situation

Grace and Alex had known each other before Alex left to serve his two year mission. They had not known each other well, but it was good enough, that upon his return Alex remembered Grace when he saw her on campus. They talked for a few minutes, and then Alex did what all good return missionaries should be doing-he asked Grace out. Their first date was a lot of fun, they seemed to have a lot in common and Grace was very comfortable around Alex-even on a first date. Things went so well, that Grace consented to another date and then another-until Alex and Grace were seeing one another at least twice a week.
Although things were going well, there was one thing that kept nagging Grace at the end of every date-Alex never opened any of her doors. Grace was a sensible girl however, and decided that instead of holding a grudge against Alex, she would just bring their conversation around to the subject and mention how important it was to her. Alex got the hint very quickly and promised to do better-he told her to wait outside the car if he forgot, until he came around and opened it for her. What a relief! Grace was completely satisfied with the out come of their discussion and the results that came from it. Alex still forgot sometimes, but he always came around after a gentle reminder from Grace.

That is until...

One evening Grace and Alex were on a date and they stepped out of the car to look at something. However, a few minutes later they were getting back into the car, and as usual-Alex forgot to open her door. Grace smiled at him, and instead of the usual smile back-she got a roll of the eyes and a huge sigh with a "do you SERIOUSLY want me to come around and open your door?!!!" Grace was a little taken aback, but opened her own door and got in. After a few more dates, thing began to revert back to their pre-discussion era and eventually Grace ended the relationship.

From there on Alex was know to all of Grace's friends-not as "Alex," but as "The-boy-who-dosen't-open-doors." What a tragic title to carry for the rest of one's life.


Analysis

I do realize that some women may read this and think that it is really quite a trivial thing to spend an hour and a half writing a blog about. But oh how I beg to differ! My objective here is to change the minds of the women who believe that it is not a big deal to let a man open doors for you, and my arguments are thus:

1. Since the time that courtship came to be, and since there were doors to be opened, men have been taking the time to open them for women. It is a sign of respect to women when the man they are dating opens their doors. There is a reason behind this small gesture-by making your man work a little harder for you, there is a greater chance he will respect you in other ways as well. So why has this practice become less than common place in this generation of young men? It is because women of this generation are letting them get away with it! That is NOT ok! Just think for a second...If your man does not have enough respect for you to open a door, what else will he not be willing to do for you once your relationship is more serious or once you are married? I can promise you, it won't get any better-In the dating world, the first couple of months show the couple on their best behavior. After that, the true behaviors and characters rear their (insert here: ugly/attractive) heads-Not opening doors may seem inconsequential at the time, but heavens knows what a more comfortable version of your man will bring! So ladies, I beg of you: expect to be treated with respect, and guess what? You will be! If not, then get rid of him
Alex did what Grace asked, but he really didn't want to- so she pitched him. Please allow the men in your life to act like men, it really helps them to learn-and in the long run you could be helping other women as the word spreads.

2. This leads me to my next point-which is directed more towards men: I have heard the argument that men are afraid to open a woman's door for fear that she is a feminist and will bite his head off. I have already pleaded with women to let you do your job in the paragraph above, so now DO IT! Seriously, there is like maybe 1 in a 100 women who would not appreciate having their door opened for them-even if they do have feminist views. The feminist, just might open the second door you come to to make it equal!

I truly believe that encouraging a man to do the little things, like opening a door for you, will extract big results so let them do it! NOTE: It is a woman's job to ALWAYS say thank you. No matter how many doors he has opened, that is just common polite behavior-and who doesn't like to be appreciated?