Our town library has a heavy wooden door that opens outward. When I come up to it from the outside, I pull it open and hold it for anyone about to exit.
My confusion is about what to do when I approach the door from the inside. Today I could see an older lady approaching from the outside, and my inclination is to open the door for her, but how? I would either have to try to awkwardly hold the door open from the inside so the lady could pass or awkwardly go out first so I could hold the door from the outside.
Both approaches are, well, awkward. If I try to hold the door from the inside, I’ll be in the doorway, pretty much blocking it. If I go through first I force the lady to back up.
I think the best approach may be to pretend I am heading downstairs to the childrens’ room and not trying to leave at all.