Can we take a second to enjoy our children and the simple joys of elevator buttons?
Honestly, I am not sure that I get as much instant happiness from anything as my kids get from pushing an elevator button.
The moment starts with the realization.
Either we are entering the hotel and they remember and see those shiny doors for the first time – or we are coming from our room and it is a race through the hallways to see who can get to the elevator first.
Their face lights up with a reserved satisfaction when they push the call button in the lobby.
But they beam with the gladness of pending adventure when they are allowed to press a button inside the elevator.
If you have more than one child, you know that who presses which button is also a fight.
“But she got to push the inside button last time!”
Or: “She always goes first!”
My elevator stopped for a couple and their two little girls when we last went to the Gaylord Texan a few weeks ago.
The girls were angling for position as the door opened. One said “No, I get to push the…“
They stopped when they saw me.
The parents were apologetic, but I waved them away and showed the girls a picture of my phone’s home screen.
“No, no. Look. These are my kids. They love to push elevator buttons too. I completely understand.”
I love these simple joys.
And I hope I never look at elevator buttons the same.