Leave your troubles at the door

My parents are renting a flat nearby, and I guess the owner is Jewish because there’s a mezuzah on the door.

Wikipedia calls the mezuzah an “apotropaic device,” meaning it is meant to protect one from evil spirits.

I’ve taken up the habit of touching it every time I go into their place. The intention I have when I touch it is to leave my troubles at the door.

It’s kind of like taking your shoes off so you don’t bring in any dirt from outside, but the spiritual version of that.

What amazes me is that this practice sometimes works.

At every threshold we have the possibility of choosing to be someone else on the other side. The mezuzah reminds me of this possibility and invites me to make that choice.