GSD Deep Cut: When the Door Drops
“Caution: Door May Drop Unexpectedly”
Back in my first job out of university, I worked at IBM – big building, lots of people, and just enough structure to make a couple of young guys feel like we should probably follow the rules… most of the time.
But not always.
A good friend of mine – still a great friend today – and I had a habit of “skipping out” once in a while. Nothing crazy. Just slipping out through the underground walkway that connected our building to a network of shops, food courts, and (most importantly) an arcade.
This was back when arcades meant something.
Pinball machines. Pac-Man. The good stuff.
On one of those escape missions, we noticed a sign above a large industrial door:
“Caution: Door May Drop Unexpectedly.”
We figured it was some kind of fire door – something that would slam shut in an emergency to stop a fire from spreading. Made sense.
Still… we laughed.
And every time we walked under it after that, we’d speed up just a little… maybe duck our heads a bit… just in case.
You know… just in case the door dropped.
It Was Funny Then
At the time, it was just one of those small, ridiculous things that makes a mundane workday better.
Two guys pretending to outrun a door that had probably never dropped once in its entire existence.
But it stuck with me.
Not because of the arcade.
Not because of the skipping out.
Because of the sign.
“May drop unexpectedly.”
Because That’s Actually How Life Works
Not the good stuff.
The hard stuff.
The stuff you don’t plan for.
The stuff you don’t want.
The stuff that doesn’t give you a heads-up.
The call you didn’t expect.
The diagnosis.
The loss.
The job that disappears.
The moment where everything feels like it just… shifted.
No countdown.
No “are you ready?”
No gentle ramp-up.
Just…
The door drops.
You Don’t See It Coming – But It Was Always Possible
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Most of us walk through life like we walked under that door.
A little aware… but not really thinking it’s going to happen.
We know, in theory, that life can change in an instant.
But in practice? We live like it won’t.
Until it does.
So What Do You Do With That?
This is where I’m not going to tell you to live in fear.
That’s not the point.
The point isn’t to walk around constantly bracing for impact.
The point is to understand something deeper:
You don’t control when the door drops.
But you do have some control over how you live before it does – and how you respond after it does.
Before the Door Drops
This is the part we actually have influence over, even if we don’t think about it that way.
- The relationships we invest in
- The conversations we don’t put off
- The risks we take (or avoid)
- The things we say “I’ll get to that someday” about
Because when something unexpected happens, perspective changes fast.
Things that felt urgent suddenly don’t matter.
Things that didn’t feel urgent suddenly matter a lot.
After the Door Drops
This is the part no one can fully prepare you for.
And it’s different every time.
But here’s what I’ve seen – in my own life and in others:
People don’t rise to the occasion.
They fall back on who they are.
Their habits.
Their mindset.
Their support system.
Their ability to adapt, ask for help, keep moving (even slowly).
This is where GSD shows up in a different way.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
Not “let’s crush it.”
But quieter. More human.
More like:
- Take the next step
- Make the next call
- Get through the next hour, then the next day
Sometimes GSD isn’t about building something.
Sometimes it’s about holding things together.
You Can’t Control the Drop – But You Can Build Resilience
We spend a lot of time trying to control outcomes.
But life doesn’t really work that way.
What we can do is build:
- Strong relationships
- A sense of perspective
- The ability to adapt
- The willingness to keep going when things don’t go as planned
That’s not about being tough.
That’s about being ready… in the only way that actually matters.
Back to That Door
I still think about that sign once in a while.
And I still laugh a bit at the image of us half-jogging under it like something out of a cartoon.
But I also think about how accurate it was.
Not just for that building.
For life.
Final Thought
You don’t need to walk around scared.
But maybe… just maybe…
Don’t wait too long to:
- Say the thing
- Start the thing
- Fix the thing
- Appreciate the thing
Because while you’re walking through your day, doing your thing, heading to your version of the arcade…
There’s always a sign somewhere that reads:
“Caution: Door May Drop Unexpectedly.”
GSD Takeaway
You don’t control when life changes.
But you do control how you show up before it does – and how you move forward after it does.
So don’t wait.
Not for perfect timing.
Not for certainty.
Not for someday.
Just… start.
🙂