Walk This Way.


I’m starting to think that most people exist in a vacuum, completely unaware of anything going on around them.

I spend far too much time trying to negotiate my way past people on the street who walk without any spatial awareness. This is particularly exhausting at the moment, as I’m suffering from labyrinthitis*. I feel like I’m constantly leaping from one potential collision to the next.

Some travel at a snail’s pace, whilst staring at their phone. Others walk one way while facing another. Sometimes, whole families spread out across the pavement, creating the pedestrian equivalent to the Israeli West Bank Barrier. God forbid anyone who wants to squeeze past.

Perhaps it's just me. Am I an inept pedestrian? Whatever it may be, I'm often the only one who's prepared to apologise, whether the near-smash was my fault or not.

The world would be a happier and easier place to live in if we spared a thought for others, rather than solely thinking about ourselves. Not just in the big things, but also with the small. Holding a door for a passerby is a simple and selfless act.

Check they want to go through it first though. Otherwise it’ll be awkward.

*Stop picturing David Bowie's skintight trousers.

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