Bad Elevator Juju

My morning was going so well. I had a great practice. I got a ride home from the shala. I stepped onto the elevator feeling all shiny and new and ready to embrace the day ahead. I pushed the button for my floor and the doors closed with an empathetic 'THUNK'.

And that's when it happened: the elevator groaned and shuddered. The control panel died and as I stood there numbly, punching the 'door open' button, I had a very bad feeling. I had a very bad feeling that I might be stuck in an elevator.

In fact, I WAS stuck on the elevator. I almost couldn't believe it. I seem to be moving through every possible nightmare elevator scenario in rapid succession this week.

I scanned the control panel, considered my options. I tried all the 'door open' buttons. I pressed my floor again. Tried the basement button. Tried the first floor button. The little button that resembles a bell looked very promising but on second thought, I realised it was probably the 'fire' button. Fire wasn't a problem. At least not yet (give me time!).

I finally decided on the button that looks like an old-fashioned telephone. I just wanted to talk to a human. And someone answered! I have no idea who it was. I didn't actually care. I described my problem and then surrendered to the moment. I was stuck in an elevator and there was nothing I could do about it. So I sat down, took out my iPad and told Facebook all about it. Yay, technology! ;-)

One level of Angry Birds and a few minutes later, help arrived. I heard a pounding on the elevator door, there was a pop, a shudder and I was instructed to push the 'door open' button again. It opened! Saved by the custodian, who is now my new BFF.

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is. Loo is certain that this is Disaster #3 and now that it's over, I can resume being awesome. To be perfectly honest, I'm just grateful that this particular mishap was a random-act-of-elevatorness and had nothing to do with my own clumsiness.

More than one friend has suggested that Bad Elevator Juju seems to be manifesting in my life. Not sure what to do about that. I guess I could take the stairs, but I live on the 15th floor - that's a lot of stairs!

For now, I'm focusing on prevention. After I taught my noon class, I stopped by the hardware store and made copies of my shala keys (they were the only keys that I didn't have spares for during this most recent disaster). Christmas is over, so I can probably easily avoid wreaths. And from now on, whenever I get on the elevator I'll carry my iPad or a book.

If there's a Hindu god of Elevator Juju, could someone let me know? I need all the help I can get!

(Princess Fur, rockin' the sunbeam!) - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad