One Door Closes, Another Opens

Add comment January 1st, 2010

I had the privilege to hear Andrew Grove address the Churchill Club on November 6, 2001 at a dinner meeting in San Jose. His autobiography “Swimming Across” had recently been published and he recounted some key events in his life in the course of his talk.

After he escaped from Hungary following the collapse of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956 he made his way to New York in 1957 and associated with a group of fellow Hungarians.

He remarked that the emigres divided into two camps. Those that lamented what had been left behind in Hungary and the way of life that had been lost and those that looked to future opportunities now that they were in America. He resolved to join he second group.

This was only a few weeks after 9/11 and I found this observation personally very moving. I later came across a quote by Helen Keller from “We Bereaved” which was a succinct encapsulation:

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”

It’s New Year’s Day, the start of a new year and a new decade. Join me in making the effort to see new opportunities.