Elevator’s Out? I’ll take the Stairs!

 I am not one to wait. If there is a red light, I will usually look for a way to cut down the side street, make a right turn, a left turn and then a right turn a block up from the light that I would’ve been stopped at. I just need to keep moving. Maybe you could say it’s because I am from the city, always on the move, but now I take it personally. If you try to stop me, I will find a way around.

That’s just what happened yesterday. It was a change, a change that could have stopped me in my tracks and made me wait, but I planned for it. Change is good.

My son had a birthday party to go to in the afternoon, and I learned that there was a problem with the elevator recently.  Because the kids are still jumping and hyped up when they get out of the park, located on the second floor, which has two flights per floor. How do I know this? Because I took the stairs.

When I got there, I already knew. It wasn’t a surprise in my face that threw me, I took the stairs up to the door. When I got inside there was another flight upstairs to where the elevator would be. There was a stairway further down the hall that I had never seen.

I was not going to get stuck in an elevator and risk having to be rescued. It was not worth it. Besides, I wanted to try out my perseverance, and leg strength. It was actually a lot more than just leg strength, but core strength having to support myself on the left railing. I knew that I would have to usher people by and tell them to just stay on the right because I had done this before. Small flight of course.

People were coming up the stairs because there were other people waiting for the elevator. It’s just one elevator and usually a group that comes together. Sometimes when families are carrying presents or birthday cakes or anything, it takes up even more room in that elevator. I usually just waited. But not today.

The stairs seemed to be lower than the usual risers, not sure if it’s because that’s the way the building was built or if it’s because of children needing the stairs. But it was like a school staircase that I remember from elementary school, so it wasn’t un doable.  I approached the second flight.

Usually there is a doorway at the end of a flight, so that’s how I knew that these were house lights. They would not be a doorway until the end, four flights up.

By the second flight, I wasn’t even winded. I guess it’s all that cardio paying off. Cardio doesn’t just burn calories, look at that.

I also needed core strength to balance myself and lift my right leg up because I can’t bend my knee on my own or drive my hip up. I’m working on it and I can’t say it will never happen. In fact I’m pretty positive that it will. It takes a long time to build muscle and especially small muscles that do work that you didn’t even realize they do. Like hip flexors and hip extensors let alone hip abductors which supports your hip from the outside so your hip just doesn’t pop out. I do a lot of hip work at the gym.

Climbing another flight, another group of kids passed by.  They were running off, I guess it’s just a kid thing to see who will be the fastest. I would probably do that too. The parent was telling them at the end and turned to me and asked if I needed help. People are always so good to me asking me if I need help. Maybe just a little bit more because I’m always trying without asking.

One more flight to go. I would say it took me about 20 minutes to climb that stairs, about five minutes of flight. That’s an estimation of course, but when I got to the top, I saw one stairway up to heaven. It was a stairway that went to the roof. I laughed out loud because I could imagine if that was the final flight I would do. Of course it was not, but it was pretty funny to me to think that somebody could climb all the way up those stairs after getting to the top. I took a picture. Maybe someday.

I walked in another hallway and into the trampoline parks front door. Kids were milling about signing waiver forms with their parents, waiting for entrance, and I felt like I just won the lottery. This was what I had envisioned in my head when I was climbing the stairs. I knew there was an end to the climb which would have a pretty rewarding sight.

The sight of people who are happy to be in such a fun place.  I need to mention that the last time I was here, I had to take my motorized scooter, and there is Accessible elevator that is Operated by key.  You have to hunt down an employee by calling on a phone number that goes right to a voice activated system. A couple of times someone actually answered the phone. But it’s usually a hassle to get somebody to help me.  They are always on the move in there, so I understand.

After this experience, I am going to try to take the stairs as much as I can now instead of just relying on an elevator. This will probably mean that I am going to have to leave more time for myself. But I will just consider it time for exercise. Like I went for a walk before I had to go to my doctors appointment.

Elevators out? Thanks, I’ll take the stairs. Change is a good thing.