Elevator Claustrophobia

One of the first humans encountered this morning was a woman who was rather eager to remove herself from the elevator in which I accompanied her. Given that my office is 50+ floors above the streets of this city, the elevator ride provides considerable time to take notice of fellow passengers.

This woman, likely in her late 40s, seemed like your average, run-of-the-mill professional until, that is, about ten floors before her "stop," when the stainless doors slammed shut. She darted toward the front of the elevator, standing so intimately close to the doors that her breath was visible in the reflection (okay, so that might be a stretch). Marveled by this behavior, I took to contemplating the reasons for her intense passion to be removed from this ascending lift. After nonchalantly taking a whiff under my coat to make sure there wasn't an unpleasant odor eminating from, well, me, followed by a quick glance at my hands, taking note that indeed I was not invisible, there was only one reasonable conclusion: claustrophobia.

Upon reflecting on this incident that most would probably not contemplate further, it seems that other reasons may be more probable for this extraordinary behavior. For instance, this woman may have been in a hurry, was she late to work? After all, it was 8:06 a.m. Or did she have a deadline? Been there. Done that. Understand completely.

Now use your imagination...what if she just couldn't wait to storm into the big guy's office, give him a piece of her mind, and quit once and for all. Having been a legal secretary for one of the highest paid defense attorneys in the Midwest for over 10 years, she's fed up with the constant pressure, late hours, and minimal pay. Now that her sons are out of college (I've decided she has two), she can afford to advocate for her values and pursue a career that she not only enjoys, but that truly makes a difference; and of course, pays her the decent wages she deserves. See, now wasn't that captivating? I'm certainly more intrigued by this woman's actions now that she has a story. So, what happens next? You tell me.

Cheers!

-A