Going Up the Down Escalator – why not?

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Today’s Blog Post


Going Up the Down Escalator – why not?
As I stood in the huge Mall in Oshawa on Sunday it was clearly a family day. Cool outside making the inside feel good. And families came to walk and be treated to whatever they liked.

I was standing outside a series of stores that my wife had intended to check out. With nothing to do but “people watch” – that is what I set out to do. It certainly helps kill a boring shopping trip.

I leaned over the railing to look down to the second(lower) level. This particular part was directly over the escalators. What a blast!

Everyone’s reaction was different. Ranging from boredom to confidence to frightened to death – it was all there just below me. I was gazing down over the first steps as people got on and off the moving stairway.

It was at this point that I caught site of two different families. They came to the escalators about 5 minutes apart. Both had three children and both were on the escalators for the same reason – not to just go up or down – but for the fun of it.

Both were doing this special ride for little guys in their family.

The first family, mommy was talking to the smallest person while holding his hand. He was about 4 years old, fuzzy blonde hair and a big grin on his face. Low down to the ground as he was he looked up and then to each side as the railing was above his head… and he savoured the movement. His brother and sister were above him and his dad below him. The whole range of motion was mixed with staggered people of different heights surrounding him and things moving. It was a lot for the little gaffer to take in.

The second family experienced the similar thing. Their little boy was dark haired and also clutched his mommy’s hand with daddy standing behind him. His siblings were above him hanging on to the moving hand rail.

Both families rode the escalator up and then down. Then they repeated it again.

Pure and simple delight for at least two little boys…but maybe the other kids as well. It was also a joy for mom and dad to watch their youngest discover the new thrill. They each watched their son’s face as he experienced the tickle inside from movement and something new.

I thought about the reactions in each family. They were not together – but yet they were the same. Pure joy. Time to do something that didn’t matter… and a simple new experience for their kids.

But stop and think about this… What kind of family has never been on an escalator in their life time? I can see that happening in other places – but not Canada!

Stand near an escalator and you will see – there are lots of people that are just trying it for the first time… each savouring the new experience over and over again.

I put these two visuals together as I read these words…
“Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future. Every minute you spend focusing on your problems you take away from finding your solutions. And thinking about all those things that you wish never happened to you is actually blocking all the things you want to happen from entering your life.”

If two little boys about to get on to an escalator, to take their very first trip of delight, said, “I can’t go forward on to that thing, I am too worried about what happened yesterday, last week, or just after I was born. I can’t go!”

Little boys and little girls could care less about what happened yesterday. Worry about the past seems impossible. They will have to GROW UP to become oppressed, put down and begin to worry… just like we do! Instead they just hold their mommy’s hand and grin from ear to ear.

My, oh my… how I have changed. Changed from being a silly little, fun loving boy into a sophisticated adult that knows everything, worries about everything and cares way too much… about the previous bad trip.

In the Mall I left my place near the rail… walked over to the escalator and stepped on to the moving stairs going down. I grabbed on to the moving rail and then began to grin… I was young again.

I had watched some of the kids that rode with their dads and moms up and down. When mom wasn’t watching they turned around and started walking up the down… giggling at the sensation… before mom barked out the orders to, “Grow up!”

As I traveled down… I turned slightly to see if I would hit anyone… then took a step up the down. This was as much fun as it was when I first tried it many, many years ago. Whee…

Now there is a problem with a white haired old guy that is all alone… walking up the down stairway of a moving escalator… even with no one else on the stairs… the sophisticated, grown ups on the up escalator going the opposite way stare at him… glare at him… laugh at him.

Yep that happens when you are having fun… people look at you strangely… offering their criticism with their glares.

“What will people think???!” never crossed my mind. The two little boys never gave it a second thought either… so why should I.

My old attitude should have told me louder that, “This is not something that Minister should do in a public place!” But if it had, I might have said, “What rule book did you read that in?”

I am 66 years old. If all continues at the progressive rate that it is right now… I have a maximum of 33, maybe 34 years, left until escalators will not be something I do alone. In fact maybe I will not be here. I will die sometime before the 34 years is up – I am pretty sure of that. I have lived at least 2/3 of my life now!

In fact if I take a hint from many of my friends that are losing one little piece of their life at a time… it may not be more than 365 days from now – when I will not be able to do something I am doing now. Who knows what will happen?

I am guaranteed nothing as to the length of time that I have left. It may be little or much… but whatever it is I refuse to look over from my up escalator and scowl at the guy walking up the down – just having way too much fun! In fact I will join him!

The words read, “Every second you dwell on the past you steal from your future.”

Today I am going to purposely find something to giggle about. I need to see a bird that flies by not giving a ding dong about today. I need to see a few bugs that are just loving what they are doing. I need to see another little boy grinning from ear to ear… and join him on the escalator.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

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