You never know when the smallest thing will make a difference.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001 (yes, THAT September 11th), six men were in an elevator at One World Trade Center, ascending to their respective floors and offices.  When the elevator suddenly stopped and the men smelled smoke they knew they had to get out.  Once they had pried open the elevator doors, they began to cut through the three layers of sheetrock that lined the elevator shaft by taking turns using a pocket kife that belonged to one of the men.  When the pocket knife slipped from one man’s hands and fell down the shaft, their hearts sank.  However,  one of the men happened to be a window washer and had with him…his squeegee.  The men used the metal squeegee handle to complete their task of digging through the elevator shaft wall, and another wall behind it.  They pushed their way through and from there were able to escape the building only minutes before it’s collapse.

The presence of a pocket knife in one of the men’s pockets gave them hope.  When it seemed those hopes were dashed, the presence of an unlikley substitute renewed their hope and was ultimately their salvation.

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This is not a sales pitch for the latest survival tool.  It’s an illustration of the often profound influence the presence or absence of small things can have on our lives.  This applies to both the physical sense and the non-physical.  While the above story is factually true and did happen to the parties involved, it is also a analogy within which is a lesson.  No, the lesson is not that Mike’s elevator never reaches the top floor.  The lesson is this:  it’s possible that when you do realize it’s time to claw your way out of something it may be something unexpected or unremarkable that makes it possible.