The 'Universe', Synchronicity & Doors

I love it when the 'Universe' speaks to me.

Sometimes the interactions seem playful; at other times they come when I need reaffirmation, a good idea, or a sense of comfort.

I'm not speaking of religion but of synchronicity, a term first coined by psychologist Carl Jung when referring to those quirky, odd connections or coincidences of events, which seem magically related.

I had several such moments a few days ago.

One happened while I was washing dishes. My mind wandered and I became aware of my worrying, that I've been doing it a lot lately and for quite some time. When did I become such a worrier? I never used to be this way and then out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a fortune cookie still sitting in its plastic wrapper sitting on the counter inches from me.

Ummm... cookie.

I never pass on a cookie even when I know this one's bland taste isn't exactly going to make my day. So I dried my hands, tore the wrapper, cracked open the cookie, ate it, and read the message written especially for me.

"Your blessing is no more than being safe and sound for a whole lifetime."

A whole lifetime, safe and sound, Thank you 'Universe' :)

Now, I just need to come up with an idea for this post. I'm clueless. Ideas don't usually hit until it's 'crunch time' which is right about now. All I keep getting is this tune playing over and over in my head... the one by The Rolling Stones called "Paint It Black"... the part that goes..."I see a red door and I want it painted black. No colors anymore I want them to turn black." Is this the 'Universe's' way of offering help? An idea for a post about doors?... or the color black?...surely not The Rolling Stones.

I do remember coming to Philadelphia to attend art school and how intrigued I was by the doors of the city. Many were old with character, some ornate, others playful with unexpected colors, not the generic type I was used to while growing up, the new, brown, plain wooden doors. In fact, the first roll of film I ever took with my Yashica camera was of doors... 36 shots, just doors! Hmmm... I'm starting to like this door idea.

Later, while straightening up the desktop on my computer, I came across a folder marked 'images'. I had forgotten these by Korean artist Choi jeong-Hwa of an installation he had done back in 2009. I first saw them at Colossal Art & Design. The project was called 1,000 Doors!

And then there's this one discarded at curbside as trash. It wasn't there earlier when I started a walk through my neighborhood while talking to my mother on my cell phone about today's post.

"Doors, how interesting," she said and added "I've always liked doorknobs." Apparently, mom has a small collection of these knobs purchased at flea markets when she lived on Long Island, NY. I probably wasn't living at home at the time because I don't remember any flea markets or having seen these bits of hardware. What interests her most about the objects is that they have a history and she likes imagining the lives of the people who touched them. They're kept somewhere in her studio in Florida, where she now lives. Curious!

Having finished my walk and talk with mom, I'm now inside the house ready to flake. Time for a round of Ball Lines, a computer game I play daily for enjoyment and relaxation. Usually, in the upper right hand corner of the screen, there are these annoying little pop up ads often of animated characters introducing new games to play. I try to ignore them, but today I noticed the images were missing, nothing was flashing, and in its place were these words:

"You're trapped in a room with two doors: one guarded by a male platypus, the other by a giant anteater, which door do you try to escape through?" What???

So now the 'Universe' wants to play. I'm game. I chose the door with the giant anteater. I figured...I'm not an ant so this shouldn't be a problem. WRONG! Did you know the anteater has claws capable of killing a human in one swipe!? Or that the platypus gives off a poison that is very painful but won't kill you? Important info if you find yourself with two doors, an anteater and a male platypus.

When Michael got home after working at the building (see About Me and Here and Next), I told him all about my day... the worry and the fortune cookie, the 1,000 door project, the door in the street, mom and doorknobs, and the two door riddle on the computer. He smiled knowing how special these synchronistic moments can be.

He also solved the mystery of when my worrying first began... "Six years ago", he said. It was when the 'Stutz' building we lived and worked in for so many years was sold for development and we were left scrambling for a new place to live and work.

Open, closed, slammed, ajar. I wonder what the 'Universe' would say about cutting down good solid doors into small pieces and taking them with you?

These are 'souvenirs' we took with us when we left our 'Stutz' building in 2006.

And here are some links that might be of interest:

Remember the television show 'Lets Make a Deal' where contestants are shown three doors, one door often containing a car, the other two, goats? The question was always the same... do you keep your door or trade it for another? Quick answer...always trade. See why here or test it out for yourself here.

More on artist Choi jeong-Hwa's work shown here and here.

And for fun, the Ball Lines game here.

Questions:

When was the last time one door closed for you and another opened?

Has the 'Universe' spoken to you lately? What synchronistic events happened?

Do you have a door that you love? Send a picture.

Pay attention... the 'Universe' may be talking to you.