Just Breathe

After 5 pm on any given day, in any given workplace, people are trying to get home as soon as possible. We all want the most direct and express trip to our abodes imaginable. I will not deny that feeling in myself. I’ve found though that the person who goes slowly with patience gets to their destination safely and sanely.

However a few days ago I was in the company of a woman who was not of the same opinion. She never told me directly; it was all in her actions.

She got on the elevator just a stop after I did. She gave all the occupants in the elevator a once-over. She made a ‘something smells bad’ face – flaring her nostrils. Then she stood in front of the switch-board, floor-selecting panel as the elevator lurched to a stop. On the floor just beneath hers, she sighed fairly loudly. People shuffled onto the elevator and the elevator descended to the next floor. Her opinion of this was to shake her head in disbelief. How dare an elevator descend floor by floor?

The elevator did become a ‘local’ despite this woman’s huffing and puffing. Mr. Otis decide today was a good one for the scenic rout.

I stood in the in the back corner of the elevator and watched the comedy unravel.

Floor 10 – she slightly punched the elevator wall
Floor 9 – she huffed even louder than before
Floor 8 – another sigh. Another passenger was holding in her laugher at Miss Patience
Floor 7 – a gentleman turned down his ipod looking as though we was going to tell her to calm down
Floor 6 – more aggravation and frustration. I began to wonder about her sanity

At that point the elevator sped to the ground floor. Everyone else stood to the side and let her off first out of fear that she’d become violent.

It made me wonder what was waiting for her at home. Unless she was just so distraught to still be in this miserable building. Heck, I’m miserable on a pretty constant basis and yet, I never put on a show like this lady did. I just know I don’t have much control over elevators, trains and other things that directly stand in my way of getting home. Perhaps she should invest in a jet pack?