Walls and gates

My mind is often filled with random thoughts that come and go over the course of any given day.

One of those thoughts, put in my head by a dear friend this past Sunday, was “what are the purposes of walls and gates?”

So of course, me being me, I read a great deal about both.

In a building, the purpose of a wall is to offer support to the floors, roofs and ceilings. Without a wall in such an edifice, there would be no shelter or security. Their purpose is to protect and hold things in.

But walls can be built to keep things out too, often due to fear of losing something. Over the past few years, much has been said about walls being built to keep people out, especially at certain borders. They’re used as barriers. They are fixed and usually unmovable.

That’s not to say that walls are negatives. After all, we build walls around our hearts and our lives to keep the hurts out or in. We hit walls when we have given our all and think we have nothing left. We lean against walls when we are tired, letting them hold up our weight. Walls protect us in storms, whether they are true storms or the metaphorical ones brewing up in our lives.

Gates usually only have one fixed point (or two if they are a double-doored gate). While they are also meant to keep things out or in, they are also able to be opened to allow passage when wanted. Gates, like doors, are thresholds. Like walls, they can be symbols of strength and power, but they also allow movement. They are entryways into places that can be quite unknown and channels to gain information. They are places to gather and greet.

There aren’t always positives for gates though. Gates can be breached, since they are not always as strong as walls can be made. They can become rusty and unmovable. And there are often gatekeepers, but that is an entirely different subject that may be covered in a different blog post should I ever have the inclination.

Metaphorically, are you a wall or a gate?

I know throughout the course of my forty plus years on this planet, I have been one or the other. I have walls built up in places to keep things safe, but I also have been a gate, letting others into my life and into my story as needed.

After all, sometimes I need to be a wall to maintain my boundaries. I need to protect those I love. I need to enclose what I know to keep it safe and sound. I have to be a wall for others to lean on at times, just as others have been for me.

But I often try to be a gate as well. I try to share my information with others in hopes that they too will cross the thresholds and learn new ways of thinking. I try (though sometimes I also fail) to bridge the gap between people, exuding love for all even when I don’t really want to, peace for those who need it, hope in the form of realistic optimism and joy that celebrates the magic in the mundane.

Instead of just building walls that keep people out or in, why can’t gates also be built?

I believe more people willing to be both walls and gates at times are needed in this divisive world. I think we all need others who are eager to bridge the gaps between walls, letting others in to their hearts and their stories. But we need to also be the walls that support each other, not just ourselves.

I may have my head in the clouds, but I have my feet on the earth as well. I know this is just a dream, but then again I have always had the heart of a dreamer.

Stay magical.

Keep writing your story, no matter what that is.

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