Taos, New Mexico, made me rethink how I look at doors, which hadn’t really been on my mind much at all until I walked around Taos and realized almost everyone had a brightly-painted, beautifully-adorned door. No doubt this added to the welcoming vibe throughout Taos. I wondered if our own doors back on the East Coast were too plain, too cold, too formal? All we seem to do to our doors here is toss a Christmas wreath or hang a wooden pineapple sign. What does it say to guests approaching a door lined with a chicken statue and a Buddha figurine? Even the door at Taos Mesa Brewing Company wasn’t just a door, but an artistic commentary. Maybe an orange door would look out of place here in the dark, obsessed-with-black Big Apple region, but I came home looking at our own doorway differently. Maybe some funky metallic flowers? Maybe my own Buddha figurine? Or a chicken? (Copying is the highest form of flattery.) Doors are gateways, welcome mats, first impressions, smiles to visitors, UPS and pizza delivery guys, and, yes, even Jehovah Witnesses knocking on your door ready to share “The Truth.” Doors are mirrors, revealing more about ourselves than we probably are aware.
