Open Door Policy

Kerri’s post on volunteerism reminded me of a decision we made round here to have an open door policy. Any time, any day; we’re usually cool with guests. While pretty much all of our friends are at least “short-notice” kind of people, no notice is fine too… though you obviously take the chance that we’re not home. If it’s meal time, there is usually more than enough to go around; if not, you’re welcome to rummage through the fridge.

To be honest, this is kind of a one way street. Kerri is our social coordinator, though we’re working on balancing out that workload more. Right now those, the odds of me making plans without first running things by Kerri to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything are pretty low. Still, rarely does a week go by that we don’t have last minute plans for the evening. Sometimes I find out at lunch, other times I don’t find out until I walk in the door and am greeted by friends as well as family.

Aside from an exceptional occasion, such as sudden illness, I have no problem with it. If you know me well, that might surprise you. But, in fact, I’m all for it. It’s one of the ways we remind ourselves that life is about the people you surround yourself with, and not the stuff. My yard may not get mowed as often as it “should,” and I may not finish as many projects as I “ought;” but that’s okay. There isn’t enough time to do everything, and we’ve chosen to make people the priority.

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