Near Death Experience

Hello High Heelers

I almost died today. Really. After a quick shop during lunch I realised I was running late. Oops! So I rushed for the lift as the door was closing and forced it open with a little more force than necessary. There before me, stood a young guy with a mop of curly hair and a box of yummy smelling take-aways, looking stunned (must have been my knock-out red lipstick – or perhaps the fact that he really didn’t want to share the lift with me. Meanie!)

So up we went in the lift, and as we were about to hit the first floor the lift did a startling jolt-thing and stopped. Then all the lights went off. Great! I am ridiculously claustrophobic so it took me all of 0.1 seconds to start panicking. And as I panicked more Mr Curls got more and more nervous. He was holding his lunch so tight I’m surprised he didn’t squash it.

Curls continued to quiver next to the control panel doing absolutely nothing (besides gripping his lunch tighter as though I was going to grab it and run away – to where?). So I frantically pushed past him and began pushing buttons. The door eventually opened and Curls vanished faster than I had arrived. I too hopped out on the first floor, kissed the ground, and took the stairs. Serves him right for taking the lift to the first floor. But me? Why did I have to suffer near-death by hyperventilation? Anyway, this reminds me of Natalie’s experience yesterday.

My goodness! She came fuming into the office after a ‘little’ altercation with a rude young lady (see how polite my choice of words is?) in the lift. Now, in all fairness, Natalie is my boss, so I try very hard to not piss her off intentionally. But if she wasn’t my boss, I would still try to not piss her off. She’s just that person. You don’t piss her off. Ever!

Would you believe, this young lady told Natalie off for opening the lift and getting in just as the door was closing? How insane? Our generation seems to think we own the planet and that everything we want must happen instantly. We have become so very individualistic, while living in our cyber worlds. We even seek to claim public spaces like lifts – what the WHAT?

I think we need to shake ourselves awake High Heelers and remember that though we have the power to take over the world in our highest stilettos, we don’t actually (and never will) OWN the world. We need to be considerate towards others, including complete strangers. We need to remember our humanity.

So when you take the lift this week, hold it open for the rushing IT guy from the fourth floor, press the button for the lady balancing two boxes of books, and smile at the bookkeeper in the next office who always looks so down. It takes a few seconds, but it makes the world of difference.

Let’s be the people who give others a lift. Let’s walk tall and take others up with us. Let’s be true High Heelers. Have a great week!

Cheers,

Jo