Century Park Blog

Recently, I've been watching a Netflix series called "A Man on the Inside" starring Ted Danson. The series is based on a true story of an elderly retired professor who is hired by a private investigator to infiltrate a senior living retirement community in the hopes of finding a jewelry thief.

During one of the episodes, Ted Danson's character is taking his initial tour of the community when he comes to a closed door. The community executive director proceeds to tell him about that hallway, when Ted pauses and states, "I know what lies behind that locked door."

A look of panic ensued which forced Ted to summon any excuse to get away from "the locked door." A few minutes later, Ted's eyes pooled with emotion as he explained to the private investigator that he was familiar with the "locked door" because his wife had suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

Every day, we are honored and privileged to have associates who are willing to step through those "locked doors" to serve all our residents, no matter their particular circumstances or their state of emotional, physical, or mental decline. Our associates and caregivers understand that everyone has dignity and that everyone is deserving of help. By stepping through the "locked door," we demonstrate respect, compassion, and a servant's heart. While some people would choose to work or live in a world that lives and acts in a superficial manner, associates in senior living courageously walk through countless emotional, psychosocial, and physically debilitating "locked doors" every day, and companies like ours are blessed to have them.

The Netflix episode also made me think about the "locked doors" we harbor in our own lives. What are they hiding? Maybe it's the mistaken assumptions we hold about others which hinder us from ever connecting with people authentically and personally. Maybe it's a grudge we've been keeping which we need to finally release once and for all. Maybe it's being willing to shake up our routine and try doing things differently than we've always done them, or maybe it's having the courage to step out of our comfort zone and take on an ambitious new project.

Regardless of how these "locked doors" manifest themselves in our own lives, a locked door will always stop our progress and impede our momentum. We cannot move forward if we are constantly turning away from locked doors.

To grow and flourish, we must find the courage to unlock and open these locked doors and face head-on whatever awaits behind them. We might be astonished at what we would find and what we would discover about ourselves. We may learn that we were stronger than we ever imagined.

And remember, opening a locked door is followed by stepping across a threshold, and thresholds lead us to new, fulfilling experiences. Today, we may be on the threshold of a new way of looking at life and of perceiving those around us in a new and fresh light. If only we would follow the daily example of our caregivers and realize that the key to most "locked" doors lies within ourselves...