PEANUT BUTTER TOAST & SMALL SPACES
H“‘IS ANYONE OUT THERE?’ I CALLED.”
ave you noticed everything seems to have gotten busy again? Some days while driving to work, traffic is back to pre-COVID times. While heading into work recently I noticed the car in front of me had driven off with a plate of peanut butter toast on the car roof. This actually made me laugh as it had managed to slide down the back window and lodge itself between the boot and the window (see picture above). The car itself had two children’s car seats and the driver looked like a young mum on her way into work. This of course might not have been the scenario at all, but in my thinking, I had the driver doing a quick drop-off to preschool or grandparents, juggling lots of things and forgetting she had actually left the peanut butter toast on the roof.
I too am guilty of leaving a wallet and phone on the roof of my car while driving off, and it was during those years of having young kids and trying to balance everything that life throws at you. It did get me thinking how small unplanned moments in your day can stop and make you reflect.
During this deadline I was up early and headed into work. I never would normally catch the lift but jumped in and pushed the button, with the elevator taking off and then nothing. No power, just nothing. I tried calling the emergency number, I made the call three times before they picked up and then told me someone would be with me in 30 minutes. At this stage I had been in the lift for 15 minutes, just on my own, checking if the lift had air vents. I texted my wife and kids and explained my early morning plans hadn’t gone quite according to plan. I’d like to say they showed some concern but they really were no help, with much laughter and jokes.
I stood for about 40 minutes and then, having no idea how long I was going to be stuck in the lift, I sat on the floor and started checking my emails. Once that was done, I moved onto news websites, and had a rummage around my work bag. I found an old copy of The World of Interiors magazine which I had wanted to look at when I had some spare time. I thought how ironic this is. Stuck in a small lift reading a magazine called The World of Interiors and on the first page I flicked open, the headline on the story was ‘Light Relief’. Indeed.
It’s quite disconcerting being trapped in a lift. Your mind wanders and for some reason I found myself reading my horoscope for the day, it said: ‘Take advantage of an opportunity to indulge and laugh out loud. It promises to be therapeutic or healing.’ I sent it to my wife and kids, the howling continued.
The lift attendant finally arrived and said he would have me out in minutes. The lift moved suddenly with the doors opening to a concrete wall. Doors shut again and I continued my sit-in. The attendant disappeared. “Is anyone out there?” I called. He eventually returned to say the power was out and they were looking into it. An hour and 20 minutes later, the attendant climbed onto the roof of the lift, the elevator moved again, the doors opened, and I fled.
Later it got me thinking, what do we learn when we have these moments in our life that are unplanned and that we are not expecting? Perhaps it’s to just go with the flow and learn to be as resilient as possible in whatever circumstance you find yourself in. In our feature, Reshape Your Future on page 26, we share a range of stories from those who have searched out a new life after taking stock of where they perhaps unexpectedly found themselves. They are inspiring stories that hopefully will make you think and reflect on your own life and if now is the time for you to embrace change and a new future ahead. Every day since the elevator incident, I have taken the stairs. And while driving to work, I’m still on the lookout for a plate of peanut butter toast.