Glass Doors

At dinner the other night, I watched as a friend's 5 year old son walked quickly into their sliding glass door, knocking his head hard enough that he actually looked dazed for a moment. After making sure he was alright, we had a good laugh after he escaped to play in the backyard. This brought to mind another such moment that took place several years ago and involved the mother of a very dear friend.

Setting the scene: my family and I were at a friend's home for dinner one evening. My family of five joined her family of five plus her mother and brother who stopped by as well. We had a very full house. Mayhem ensued every time our families got together if for no other reason than the simple fact of joining six children together in one structure. My friend's kitchen and dining area are thankfully quite large and include a sliding glass door leading from the dining room to the large wood deck out back.

After dinner and the chaos that was always entertaining, I watched in horror as my friend's mother attempted to walk "with purpose" through the sliding glass door to join the rest of the family on the deck. The sliding glass door had been recently cleaned and unbeknownst to her, was quite closed at the time! She ran into that door so hard, and smacked her head with such force that she knocked her self squarely on her butt and was nearly knocked unconscious. Both families immediately jumped up and amidst the gales of laughter, tried to assure ourselves (and her) that she was alright. Thankfully she was none the worse for wear, just a little wounded pride, and to this day we still laugh about the time she nearly knocked herself out. My friend had stickers on those windows for several years just for her.

Witty quip of the day: People in glass houses should not throw stones. Or in this case, people attempting to cross the threshold of sliding glass doors perhaps ought put a hand out, just to be sure.