Last week I had the unusual responsibility of spending five hours taking passengers up and down in an elevator. I kept wishing my boys were there to help me (they would have loved it) but other than that I really enjoyed myself, not least by finding myself able to quite cheerfully endure 5 straight hours on my feet (something I was by no means sure I'd be capable of).It was basically five hours of extreme social intimacy interspersed with brief periods of total privacy. An odd combination, but strangely exhilarating: Smiling and making (very) small conversation. Then total quiet, and the types of grimaces and leg- and toe-stretching exercises one only does while alone and wearing dressy shoes. Then smiling and crowding and friendliness again. I felt like I was experiencing several months of human contact in the space of a few hours: not a bad feeling, for someone who doesn't get an excessive amount of human contact in the normal course of things.
5 comments:
I'm sorry, WHY are you moonlighting as an elevator operator? Aren't those all self-service now?
wv: sneel
Oops! I meant to say, we were helping at the Temple Open House. Sorry to be so cryptic. :)
Wow, I can't believe you survived, standing, in that small space in dress shoes in your 'delicate' condition. (What is delicate about it at this point? I defer to tradition here...) We helped out with the radio communication here. And, I was a bus tour guide. I think Philip was also some kind of usher/security guy inside. I had a similar experience with the pleasantries. I also had a little fact sheet I was supposed to read, and the opportunity to answer a few questions. My smiling muscles were pretty tired by the end of it all. It made me realize that I probably could never have a job where that kind of skill (and I do think it is a skill) is required.
Wow, that truly is a strange and singular opportunity these days. It would be weird. I'm not very good with that kind of short intimate contact! It would make me extra shy I think.
I was going to say, "And we were doing this because . . ." but I see that you already answered that. Well, that's kind of cool. I'd always rather have a job at something like that, so I feel part of it, even though I'm just a little part. But I'd seriously be wearing flats. . .
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