Have You Ever?
Welcome to my random musings about the world, on a weekly-to-occasional basis.
Where we are: Hopefully by the time you read this, we will be chilling on a beach in the Maldives. After almost six weeks of bouncing around disparate parts of South Asia, we are in desperate need of some downtime. Even Lee is exhausted, which is saying something. Not much wears him out.
Have You Ever?
Have you ever watched someone ride an escalator for the first time? It’s one of my favorite things to do.
It’s usually a little old lady, and she has been dragged to a mall or airport or other public place by a younger relative—perhaps a grandchild, or an impatient middle-aged son—and suddenly she is confronted by this unnatural mechanical thing: stairs that move. The edges look like teeth. It looks like it might bite off a soft, slow-moving toe (which, to be fair, it could). It looks as if it might tumble an aging body backward. It looks hard and mean, like something out of a steam-punk fever dream. Or maybe just a way to get to the second floor.
True confession: when we’re in a country where there might be people who’ve never ridden escalators, I like to find a spot on a bench nearby and watch.
Lee thinks I’m a terrible person, but I’ve given it a lot of thought—my shocking voyeurism—and here is my defense.
Watching someone ride an escalator for the first time fills me with delight. It reminds me that the world still holds wonders. Escalators may be old hat to me, but for someone else, that effortless ride to the second floor may be a miracle of modern whiz-bang magic. I love watching the faces, seeing the trepidation give way to relief and maybe amazement.
Besides, I hope that one day I too will be a little old lady, one who is not afraid of new risks and challenges. I hope that my family and friends will still care enough to show me new things, the wonders of the world that I’ve never seen before. I hope that I will be brave enough to step onto that escalator, even if it takes a little coaxing, or a gentle shove from behind.
The world will always hold wonders. I hope I can always remember to look for them.
Take care,
Lisa
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