Okay, look, I try hard to describe how to stay calm and deal with situations regarding people in particular, but, sometimes, instinct and adrenaline are good things to let get ahold of you. That happened to me this weekend... Let me explain.
I had to work at a client late into Friday night (until 12:30 am) then most of Saturday (8 am - 3:45 pm). I am not a fan of heights, elevators or being restricted from getting out of an area that I'm not comfortable in, but that's exactly how this one works -- it's on the 18th floor (heights and elevators) and after 7 pm, people who do not work in this building are unable to get out until a security guard comes and gets you (restricted in an area I'm not comfortable in), but I can manage. I don't like it but I don't have to deal with it too much. But on Saturday, I was able to leave without a security guard (during the day it's fine), and I got in an elevator alone, leaving this building.
That's when the fun happened. I went down the the 1st floor counting to 10 which helps me from getting anxious during the elevator ride and the elevator stopped on the 1st level and I waited for the doors to open. Then I kept waiting. Still waiting. These doors had no intention of opening and I would like to say I kept my cool, but that just did not happen. I started pushing buttons (I think all buttons except for the emergency call button) but nothing would work. I did the only thing I could. I grabbed the very small lip of the doors, somehow crammed my fingertips in between and quite literally threw the doors open so hard that an emergency bell had sounded in the elevator. I grabbed my bags and jumped out as the doors slammed again behind me.
Needless to say, I panicked. Another guy was on his phone and yelled into it "IT'S THIS ELEVATOR! ANOTHER GUY WAS STUCK YOU NEED TO SHUT THIS ONE DOWN. THIS IS RIDICULOUS..." and so on and so forth. When I got to the security desk to check out I told them what happened and he was 1)Amazed that I actually threw open the doors, apparently that isn't easy to do and 2)glad I mentioned this because there were security guards searching the elevators for the guy that was stuck (the guy on the phone did not mention I got out).
I faced a fear. I panicked, threw it out of the way and got the hell out of there. I think we all know the lesson here -- sometimes thinking can come second.
My fingertips are killing me still.
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