Open Door Policy

Yesterday, I did my bi-weekly trip to my condo to pick up mail and move tiny bits of stuff at a time back to my parents' house. Tiny bits, because apparently I have trouble picking up a Stor-All box these days.

I ran into all of my neighbors, because our little quadrant likes to keep their doors open. It's almost like living in the dorms. They actually notice when I drive up, or am getting my mail, and come outside. The last time I did this, the new neighbor downstairs didn't recognize me, since it had been half a year, I had my glasses on, and had just thrown on whatever mismatched clothing that weren't my pajamas. And being ill changes your face. Especially the eyes.

During my first year as a graduate student, people walking by my room in CroMem would ask me why I kept my door open. Apparently, it was weird. I thought, what a weird question, it's weird to not keep your door open. Then my neighbors started keeping their doors open too. It didn't really catch on when I went to live in the Studios the next year.

I wonder why all the neighbors in my corner keep their doors open, and not the people in the other two quadrants of the building. Probably a combination of geography and trend-setting. I think our corner gets the most sun, so the units get pretty warm, and we open our doors for the cooling air. And when one neighbor starts doing it, then all the others think, hey that's cool, we get to talk to our neighbors, so we keep doing it. Even when residents move out and new residents move in, it keeps catching on.

There they were, all enjoying a warm lazy Friday evening, watching television, or eating dinner.