May 21, 2008 10:09
Let it never be said that I'm not into competitive sport.
Of course, I have said that, multiple times, usually quite emphatically. But I've discovered a new activity, that I compete in every morning on my way into work.
I race escalators.
My train station is very deep underground, so I have to catch some extremely long escalators up to the top every morning. And because there are so many hundreds of people wanting to ride up at once, they provide three 'up' escalators, right next to each other. All travelling at slightly different speeds.
And the thing is, the speeds change every day, so you can never predict which escalator is going to be the fastest.
From getting off the train to getting on an escalator, I have about one-and-a-half seconds to assess the climbing escalator steps and figure out which escalator will be the best choice this morning. Then, I step onto my favourite, and look over to the other two, where I check out who is standing either side of me. They are my competitors.
The entire ride up to the top, I'm silently cheering "Go, escalator! You can do it! Just a bit faster, and we'll reach the top first!"
And, whenever I do, my day is made just that little bit brighter.
Of course, I sometimes lose. But when that happens, I cheer myself up by laughing at just how silly I can be when devising new imaginary sports events.
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