I found a note in a retired Moleskin journal—it became a teaching point I used to create the illustration for the talking point. The details written in the journal were somewhat obscure and indecipherable. My handwriting cannot keep up with transcribing thoughts during lectures and sermons—a snippet of wisdom.
“Most of life happens in the valleys and not on the mountaintops.“
My front gate provides security. The gate has prevented rattlesnakes, coyotes, and javelina from breaching that security. Unfortunately, gates do not keep out scorpions.
Doors and gates are used extensively as metaphors: They keep things out and keep things in. A person can be referred to as having a “closed door” metaphorically, indicating that they are stubborn and unwilling to accept or listen to new ideas and views. “Kicking down the door” means someone courageously pushes forward into a difficult situation. Literature, poetry, and proverbs often use doors and gates metaphorically to indicate the passing into a new stage of life.
The gate to my home illustrates a wisdom snippet discovered in a retired moleskin journal.
“The hardest part of the journey is getting out the door.”
“It is better to live rich than to die rich.” – Samuel Johnson
