It finally happened. I knew this day would come. I wasn’t sure how I would react when the moment came, but all in all I think I handled it fairly well. It was inevitable after all.

There we were in a parking garage this past Saturday and I did it. I waited for an elevator. Now of course I’ve waited for elevators before but rarely, if ever, when there is an escalator mere feet away. But alas, with my hands fixed on the handle of the baby stroller in front of me, escalators were not an option.

Those who know me well know that I’m not a particularly patient person. <<Pause for laughter>>  Ok, I basically have no patience at all. Standing and waiting for an elevator just seems like an incredible waste of time to me. Surely I could be doing something more productive, something more enjoyable with those minutes instead of just standing in one place staring at a pair of steel doors. I bet I could drink a pint of Guinness in the amount of time it takes to wait for an elevator to be called.

I know what you’re thinking.

“Marc, you’re awfully lazy too; wouldn’t you always choose an elevator over some other less-passive method of achieving an increase in elevation?”

In general, yes, but escalators are always the preferred option. They mesh well with my lack of patience and my desire to not needlessly exert myself physically with something as insane as a flight of stairs. Seeing other families with children whose legs are able to convey themselves in an effective manner made me incredibly jealous.  I could almost sense them laughing at me as they walked past me and my non-escalator-friendly stroller and continued on their merry way, able to enjoy the same destination we were all headed to at least 30 seconds sooner than I. Curse them with their more physically advanced offspring!

Nevertheless, I suppose all of that fades away and all becomes worth it when I see my little guy smiling back at me, even as he sits in the very same stroller that is the source of my mobility frustrations.

And no, I don’t care if it’s just gas, he’s still smiling at his dad.