She could hear the tapping toes every day. Sometimes, she could see them; tiny toes encased in little peach booties; slender toes in pink ballet shoes; toes encased in clunky hiking boots.

In her dreams, they were her toes tapping in time to music or running on the soft sand of a beach.

In these moments, she felt strong and alive. She felt she could overcome any obstacle and any burden. Challenges were nothing to her then. Joy and happiness surged through her body and carried her through.

Today, she hears the tapping toes in the keyboard her fingers roam over. The ideas spill out onto the computer screen.

She can solve problems clients have; come up with solutions for issues arising half way round the world; create snappy slogans for new products; imagine and craft stories that invigorate or soothe readers going through darkness and sorrow.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, she gets up to tap out crazy ideas that help the needy in foreign countries.

They say that when one door closes, another opens.

Her toes will never tap again and she will never run on sandy beaches again, but her ideas, solutions, and slogans bring hope to many around the world.

Surely, that should be more than enough to make up for her silent and still toes?

Most often, yes.

But sometimes no.

Sometimes, it just feels like the door closed quietly and another doesn’t open.

Header image by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash.