Friday 14 September 2012

My Abusive Relationship with an Escalator


So I hate escalators, yes I do

Regardless of how many times I appear to gracefully get on and off it, I will never like it

My first reason for this hatred- it encourages laziness. Abeg why does a staircase have to move?

That is why it is ‘step’ you take steps not stand and get moved up or down, then just take the elevator!

Then, Escalators always have a way of making me feel incompetent (wait, don’t laugh)

So a week ago I was at the airport and while I was on the line to get my boarding pass, I noticed a particular guy behind kept trying to make conversation, “Have you got your ticket?”, “Is this line for Abuja?”, “What time is the flight?”

“Oga abeg free me!”, I was tired from lack of sleep and I had a cold threatening to make my nose and head explode, all I needed was to be well not a married man (yes I checked) disturbing my peace.

So I don’t understand how the man ended up right in front of me again oh as I was about to get on the escalator (which I have acquired the perfect habit of being the last person within view to get on), he was forming gentleman so he smiles and gestures for me to go ahead of him.

Na so my leg hook on the first step – I promise I can’t explain what happened and I know I will never be able to explain it to any human being.

“Choi, this man will say so upon how this babe fine reach she no sabi climb escalator!”

I was clearly ashamed so I just lock up and started forming arranging myself and tinz.

As my Father in heaven and Friend in time of need would permit, I see an old school mate passing by, I swiftly call out her name to go say hi and we walk happily together to the gate.

Thankfully, that was the end of the man and his judgmental thoughts of how I can’t use that confidence killing machine.

Well the tragic ordeal kept playing in my mind even as I was trying to sleep, I confess I’ve had my share of good laughs at people who ‘appeared all ready to conquer only to disgracefully fall’ on the escalator, LOL. I also wondered why something as insignificant as an escalator could gravely affect a person’s ‘appearance’ of being competent or why people paid any attention to that sort of thing.

It crossed my mind, that maybe it can be likened to an abusive relationship- that slowly but surely kills your confidence- which often starts with a good mood day, you slowly go up until you get to the top and then trip on a seemingly small thing which triggers insults and wicked finger-pointing laughter that inevitably kills all the self confidence you may have built from the last time you had this experience. And in a few seconds you are back to that place of being afraid to be seen in public.

But the cool thing is we have options, you can choose to use an elevator or the staircase. Yeah, it’s not easy to change that which you’re familiar with but would you wait till you’ve lost a few teeth or bruised your eye before you know you’ll change?  Remember I said the escalator encourages laziness, just maybe you’ve become too comfortable or believe you’ll eventually master the art or you just don’t want to do the work of walking to another elevation device.

Whatever the issue, think about it and GET TO STEPPING!

As for me and my friend Kellie (who has her own escalator tales) we shall be taking the staircase when the elevator is wasting our time *wink*


***And just for trips, please Google ‘funny escalator cartoons’

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