The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience.

Joy does not knock politely, and a life sealed against disappointment is also sealed against surprise. Standing ajar means keeping a small opening: unbooked hours, an unguarded response, a willingness to be moved in public. Most people close up gradually and for good reasons, then wonder why nothing lands any more.

You do not have to fling anything wide. Leave one evening this week unplanned, and when something asks for your attention, say yes before you have worked out whether it is worth it. Whatever you call the part of you that receives things, it works better slightly open.