People often ask me if I ever had a problem with vandalism in Firefly Forest. I suppose the answer is a matter of opinion.
For a time, the Red Door became the target of a roving band of trail dwellers. Truth be told, I lost several doors to these troublemakers. Although the loss of the doors was mildly annoying, I have always valued preparation and carried a replacement door in my pack (just in case of emergency). Plus, I found it wildly entertaining to immediately replace &upgrade the missing doors (each new installation included groundbreaking “fool proofing” developed by me) and genuinely thought that I could outlast my opponents.
And then it happened. I had a terrible day, a really awful day and entered the Forest gasping for relief. I came around the bend and saw that the Red Door had again been targeted (on the plus side, it was clear that I was perfecting my patented method of “foolproofing” because they couldn’t break the door free). Instead, they broke the door in half and left it hanging on its hinges.
Just like the tiny door, I finally broke. The tears were indeed bitter as I knelt down and started to replace the door. Ultimately I gave into my anger, left the broken door in the hollow, and stomped off the trail.
The next day, I remembered myself and returned to the trail to repair the damage. In the hollow I discovered that the broken door had been lovingly, expertly repaired and replaced. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I replaced the door and included a message to the kind Samaritan. The repaired door remains with me as a daily reminder that I am not alone. Although some people are determined to inflict damage, there are those who are willing to love me, to lift me, and help me find my way.
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