Shut the door.

I’m very conscious to close the door behind me when entering public spaces. I’m speaking specifically about doors leading directly outside, especially during the winter months.

In Chicago, as the bitter cold is a way of life, restaurants adopt a double-door system. This is an effective way to keep the frigid air out and the heated air in.

In Japan, no such system is in place. Why? Well, because Japan embraces the inconvenient and mildly uncomfortable. In other words, ‘minimalism’. Fair enough. Japanese winters (in the mainland) aren’t as treacherous as those in the American Mid-west. No need for an extravagant double door, as long as people are mindful enough to close the door properly as they enter and exit. But that’s hardly the case.

The problem is two-fold; the first being that many older establishments have doors that don’t shut properly on their own. This is a fault of the establishment and not entirely on the consumer. Although, what’s the problem in being mindful enough to coax the door shut if necessary?

The bigger problem is the obliviousness on the part of the patron. Often, people enter a cafe, hold the door open, and stand in the entrance as they scour the landscape for available seats. Or they eye the menu from afar while checking their phone for another nearby spot. All the while, unaware of the hyper air exchange they’re causing. Another word for unaware is ‘rude’, at least in my book.

I’m always very conscious of closing the door manually, wholly shut, as I enter and exit any establishment. This single act makes me a better person than most.