I owe you all an apology.
I'm a nightmare of a pedestrian. I'm the type who's constantly bumping, or almost bumping into people. I don't always have the greatest awareness of my body's position in space, and there have been times when I didn't even
notice I'd bumped into someone until the person started yelling at me.
I'm so spatially clueless, I often can't figure out what direction to move in to maneuver around people. I also tend to be so absorbed in my own thoughts, I often don't notice other people until they're right in front of me. It doesn't help when it's sunny out, and I'm walking in the direction of the sun. I don't see well in the sun.
I really don't understand sidewalk etiquette. I need the rules explicitly told to me, as I don't pick up on these things intuitively. If my fellow pedestrians are trying to send me signals using body language, and facial expressions, I'm not receiving. I'm not looking at anyone's face anyway, and even if I was, I would probably be unable to interpret what I saw. I wish people would just verbally tell each other where they're going to move. I often don't understand when people I know try to tell me things using only gestures and facial expressions, and I'm certainly not going to be able to interpret that information from random strangers on the street. Is there a course on sidewalk etiquette? If there is, I need to sign up.
I'm nearly always walking by myself, but I'm still not easy to pass, as I tend to weave all over the sidewalk. I just can't seem to walk in a straight line without consciously thinking about it. If I'm doing anything else when I'm walking, like texting or handling grocery bags, the weaving all over the place will be especially pronounced. I'm sure I drive my fellow pedestrians crazy. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn't like me either.
Once again, on behalf of frustrated pedestrians everywhere, I'm sorry.
I should bookmark this thread, and study it. Maybe I'll learn something that will help me be a better pedestrian.
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"And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad./ The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."
Last edited by OuterBoroughGirl on 17 Jul 2010, 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.