Outside the front door of an apartment here in my building in Abu Dhabi is a sort of welcome mat. One with a message.

It reads:

“OOOOH GOODIE!

“YOU’VE ARRIVED!

“(at last)”

It strikes me as a bit of an unusual welcome mat.

Does everyone expect that someone at their door is a good thing?

It’s optimistic, give them that. It’s nice that someone has the capacity for that idea.

But do you really smile and clap your hands (the ooh, goody! part) when you’re inside your dwelling and you hear a knock at your door, or a bell ringing?

Generally not.

Or maybe it’s just a modern American thing, where the idea of someone at the door conjures visions of unsolicited sales people and religious zealots.

Maybe in the UAE, someone at the door usually is a positive experience. A relative or a friend. Maybe so.

But another bit of the welcome mat strikes me as odd.

The “(at last)” part of it.

To me, feels a bit like the visitor has arrived late, and the mat is passing on a bit of condemnation. “at last”. Or making a long-hoped-for visit that the visitor finally is getting around to — which would be even stronger than the “well, you’re late” notions.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe everyone else doesn’t read much of anything into it.

But every time I see that mat … I start to wonder about it.