Not every door that closes is punishment.
We tend to experience closed doors as loss. A path that didn't open. A person who didn't stay. An opportunity that fell through right when you needed it most. And often, there's no explanation — just the door, closed, and you, standing in front of it.
Here's what we don't get to see: some doors close because what's on the other side would have hurt you. And you'll never know how much, because you never walked through. There's no alternate timeline to compare against. No proof. Just the absence of something that, looking back, you can't quite explain why you wanted so badly.
You don't get to see the version of your life where that door stayed open. The danger you avoided. The years you didn't lose. The person you didn't become.
All you get is the closing. The redirect. The "no" that made no sense at the time — that maybe still doesn't, not fully.
Some doors aren't locked against you. They're locked for you.