Who hasn’t heard the phrase, “When opportunity knocks, answer the door?” or “When the door of opportunity opens, be ready to walk through it?” Not many people talk about what to do when the door is “technically” open yet frozen shut making it difficult to open. Well, I now have first-hand knowledge with this experience and can offer a couple of tips.
This past Tuesday, it not only snowed in Philadelphia, PA and the surrounding areas, but the temperature has been well below freezing throughout the course of this week. With this being said, even with keyless entry, my frozen car doors have not been opening with ease. So what do I do; most would answer, pull a little harder on the door handle. Initially, this may seem logical, but it is not always the best choice. I tugged a little harder, and the door did not budge, so I yanked a bit more forcibly. If you are heavy-handed like me, I definitely do not suggest this method as I managed to break off my rear door passenger handle pulling so hard. Needless to say, this upset me quite a bit. Why wasn’t I more patient? Why didn’t I ask someone for advice on what to do to open a frozen car door or look for a Youtube video on it? Though this is an experience I wish I didn’t have, I have been thinking about what I can learn from it.
- Even when a door “should” be open, you need to be mindful of your own strength. If you break off the door handle, you will make it even more difficult to open that door of opportunity or may need to find another method to get to that opportunity.
- Sometimes, when we are extremely passionate about something or allow it to consume us, (I would not rest until I got the door open instead of giving a few tugs then walking away) it may bring about unexpected problems and detours on the road to opportunity.
- Don’t allow being ashamed if you break off the handle trying to open the door to deter you from opening other doors. Since I was younger, I’ve always been known as heavy-handed and as a bit of a klutz. I was so embarrassed when I broke off the handle and still am, but I am grateful it was not the driver side door nor the front passenger side door. Also,m I can still get to my destinations.
I am glad that I was able to take this experience and apply a life-lesson and hope that it may help others who are trying to open up those frozen doors.
All the best,
Tanya
Journey of Anonomz 
Once, I broke both my door handles (on a two-door Honda), and until I could get my car serviced, I had to enter the vehicle through the trunk. It must have been a sight!
So, what I’m trying to say is: don’t beat yourself up about breaking your door handle. We all end up in these kinds of situations sometimes! Great insights, by the way!
Thanks for sharing your experience with me Gina. It does make me feel better knowing I am not the only one with super human strength that allows me to break off car door handles 😉 I do have a tendency to beat myself up over things like this, but I am learning to just look for the lesson and what positive insight I can gain from experiences like this.