Don’t Walk in the Middle of the Road
There’s this walkway I used to walk on outside of work.
I used to love that walk.
After a long day of work, I could take a break and get some fresh air.
I’d put in my music and begin walking.
But as I walked, I encountered some conflicts.
And slow walkers who walked in the middle of the sidewalk.
What was supposed to be a peaceful walk soon turned into a nightmare.
How the Walk Turned Out
What happened was that people were walking in the middle of the sidewalk.
They were taking up the whole pathway!
They were moving at a speed that was too slow for me.
Not saying they were slow, but in comparison to me, slow.
So I’m over here hovering near them for a while, right behind them.
Their pace is driving me nuts.
So I try to overtake them.
Since they are walking in the middle of the sidewalk, to overtake them, I need to step onto the grass.
By the time I’m on the grass, I see them looking at me from their peripheral vision.
I wonder what they are thinking.
But as I see them from my peripheral, I notice them now moving at an uncomfortable speed.
I don’t know if they are trying to prevent me from cutting them off, or if this is just physics.
When I am next to them, it feels like they’re walking faster than when I was behind them.
I felt so awkward!
I look more aggressive with my movements than I intended to.
Eventually, I have to increase my speed to cut this person off.
And once I do, I have to maintain this slightly higher speed.
Otherwise, I look like a jerk for cutting them off and then slowing down.
The new abrupt high speed is hurting my shins.
But I am moving fast past this obstacle so I can finally walk in peace.
As I keep walking, I now see two buffoons walking in the middle of the sidewalk.
Why Walking in the Middle of the Pathway is Poor Etiquette
I’ve never heard people talk about walking in the middle of pathways as bad etiquette.
If you ask most people, they won’t even know it’s a thing.
This insight came from personal experience.
The reason it’s bad is because of a few things…
1. If you’re slow, move out of the way.
Imagine a slow driver staying in the left lane.
That’s not okay.
The slow lane is on the right.
No one is saying you can’t drive slow, just make sure you’re in the correct lane.
Same with slow walkers.
You can still walk slow.
But when you do it on the edge of the pathway, you don’t disturb others.
2. You don’t even have to be slow.
There have been times when the person walking in front of me in the middle wasn’t even slow.
They just weren’t as fast as me on that particular day.
Which still created the same annoying feeling.
Where I was walking behind them, getting fed up, and then having to move to the side to cut them off.
You don’t have to be a slow walker to annoy people.
Walking in the middle just blocks their motion.
Who knows what they are going through?
They may be having a long day at work, and their only moment of peace is during that walk.
And here you are, making them think.
Which brings me to my next point.
3. Walking in the Middle Creates Unnecessary Confusion
So far, I’ve been talking about people who walk behind others in the middle.
But it’s just as awkward when someone is walking toward you in the middle.
Now you think:
“Do I go left? Right? Do I wait for them to pick a side?”
A lot of times, when you pick a side, they choose the same side as you!
And now you both have to switch to the opposite side.
Creating a very weird couple of seconds.
Even though these moves are harmless and don’t have bad intent,
I momentarily view these middle walkers as my enemy.
I think:
“Why can’t you just choose a side and stick to it??”
Can You Ever Walk in the Middle?
I’m not fully opposed to walking in the middle of the pathway.
I normally do that when I know there’s no one else near me.
During that same job, there was a big difference between walking there at 3 PM vs. 8 PM.
At 3 PM, it was buzzing with activity.
But by 8 PM, it was a ghost town.
Still, if you’re reading this for the first time, high traffic or not, you should condition your body to walk to the side.
So when there is traffic, you are not annoying others.
Eventually, it’ll become muscle memory.
Walking is a Part of Body Language
Growing up, I always heard, “Don’t slouch.”
Slouching shows laziness.
Well, I think the same thing about slow walking.
Or walking without purpose.
You know what I haven’t even mentioned yet?
Zigzagging!
That’s the clearest sign of someone who doesn’t walk with purpose.
Going to the middle, left, and right, while they are lost in their phone…
Just causing havoc!
A clear walker has a confident stride.
They walk like they have somewhere to go.
But that’s not all.
They also walk with direction.
They aren’t zigzagging all over.
Instead, they have a clear path.
They move forward.
And they allow others to enjoy their break time at work.
If you mess with people’s free time, they will resent you for it.
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