Fuzzy Thinking Under Stress

 My mom has some friends that live at Belmont Senior Living in Los Angeles.  They may be old, but they still love an outing, especially one that involves eating.  Recently their program director organized a lunch at The Ivy in Beverly Hills for those interested residents.  My mom's friend Millie was one of the first to sign up.  During her younger years, Millie used to eat lunch out, usually alone, almost everyday.  So when an opportunity to have lunch at The Ivy came up, Millie was ready to go.  She, and other residents at Belmont, need some additional help getting around.  Some use walkers, others wheel chairs, and some just an additional pair of hands, ready to help when needed.  So, getting everyone (9 of them) in and out of the restaurant and in and out of the van, is a bit of a challenge.

All was going well.  The group had enjoyed a wonderful lunch at The Ivy, one of the premier spots to lunch in L.A.  The restaurant has a few steps leading up to the restaurant, with a little birdcage type elevator on the side of the steps to help those that can't walk well.  Millie was one of those that needed to use the elevator.  She got in, closed the door, and  the elevator didn't move.  She was stuck in the elevator.  Security was called and they couldn't open the elevator.  The elevator company was called and they said they would be there in three hours!  A 97 year old woman who can't walk well being stuck in an elevator for three hours?  Unacceptable.  Someone fooled around with the elevator lock for a while, and finally, after about 45 minutes, got the door opened.

All these people trying to get Millie out of the elevator, dozens of people, never thought to call the fire department.  It just goes to show that under stress people somehow don't think of the easiest, most logical solution.

It was a harrowing experience for Millie.  Although she knew her life was not in danger, it really shook her up.  The Ivy felt terrible about the situation, and comped their whole party and sent them all home with cookies!  It was a happy ending, but it just goes to show that when you're under duress you sometimes don't think of the obvious solution.