A Change of Perception...

Over the past few months I have seen a dramatic change in my perception of escalators...yes escalators :) Let me explain.

When I was a little kid I used to be terrified of getting on the escalators; I didn't think that I would be able to step on fast enough and I was afraid that I would fall all the way down. I remember being relieved to be standing on the step holding on tight to the rail.

As I got older escalators became less and less scary and soon were something I didn't even think of doing. Now I ride at least 8 escalators a day going in and out of the metro station. However, escalators are no longer a thing that you leisurely ride down or up to the next level, and here is where my biggest perception change has occurred.

Rush hour in Washington DC is just that...rush hour; millions of people going to and fro some hurrying along while others slowly move about as if there is no care in the world. As you can imagine it gets pretty frustrating when those "sauntering" individuals block the escalator and you miss your metro train. So it is common practice that if you are going to stand on the escalator you better be on the right side or you are going to either get a nasty comment or get shoved aside.

Sadly, I have become one of those impatient people that get extremely irritated when people stand on the left side (they are usually tourists, no one else would dare do such a thing) haha and I have also started to perceive those that do stand on the escalators (the right side) to be either lazy or over-weight. I am not proud of this new perception, but I thought it was extremely interesting how my perception has changed over time. I probably need to be like those people that enjoy the ride up and down the escalators, who slow down and take in the world around them.

Morgan and I were at the mall the other day and when we got to the escalator I immediately started running down it, however the same unspoken standard of standing to the left doesn't apply in the mall but I got irritated anyway that eveyone was standing on the left side. Morgan gentley reminded me that the escalators in the rest of the world were meant to stand on. :)

So my goal is to not judge those people that are standing on the escalator no matter the length of it, who knows they may have knee problems, they may have a bad headache or they may simply be enjoying the ride up the escalator before they enter the busy world.

**please note any of you coming to DC for a visit, please remember to stand to the right :)