There is nothing like walking to class and getting stuck in a person strolling like it is a nice sunny day on the beach. It is even better when they duplicate across the hallway or sidewalk, and you can’t pass them.
Imagine you are on your way to class, trying to get there casually. You are enjoying the nice weather with the sun shining, and not a single gust of wind is blowing you to the side. You picked the perfect song for your journey, having Giveon serenade you. Next thing you know, you have to change up your pace from a two-step to a one-step. You get stuck behind a roadblock that seems to have nowhere to go.
There is nothing more annoying than someone walking slower than a sloth can move. It is genuinely concerning because you have nowhere to be. My walk goes from a 5-minute walk to a 10-minute walk. The common thought is to go around them, but it always seems they have a telepathic sense of which direction I am going to take. I go to the left to go around them, and they move to the left.
It is even worse when there is more than one person. Nine out of ten times, it is a group of people. They walk shoulder to shoulder, taking up the whole walkway. It is impossible to penetrate the wall they create. It is something you can’t pass or escape, making you even more frustrated and questioning if you should turn around to go a different way, which would probably be faster than following behind a group of slugs.
The lack of urgency is the most frustrating part. We all have places to be, trying to get ourselves from class to class. I am not asking that we become professional speed walkers, but there needs to be consideration of others. If you want to walk slowly, go off to the side instead of the middle of the path.
There is a clear disregard for being aware of one’s surroundings and being able to share space. Sidewalks, hallways, and crosswalks are not personal paths. They are supposed to be a shared space to have people get from place to place efficiently. They do not need to be American Ninja courses, as people try to weave around others and dodge getting bumped into.
Awareness is so important and is very simple. A simple look around you will change everything. If you see a large group of people behind you and no one is in front of you, that should indicate to your brain that you need to move. It is super easy to incorporate into your everyday life, I promise.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to slow the pace and embrace your surroundings. It is as simple as thinking beyond yourself. It will help everyone and save everyone the frustration.