Walk 4: Walking Etiquette

I'm always in a hurry right now. My walking is frenetic and goal-oriented. I walk around my work environment. I walk to the bus stop, to my classes, to the gym, to the library, to the post office. I am my own errand-girl. Yet I can't help wondering about sidewalk etiquette. When I'm in a hurry, I tend to walk very efficiently and with focus. Others seem just as rushed but don't seem to bring focus to their walking practice. This is especially relevant because I was forced off the sidewalk twice yesterday while I was on a 10 minute walk. I think it happened partly because I was hurrying and really didn't want to have to accomodate the other walkers coming towards me. But it mostly happened because the people coming towards me didn't leave me any space. I was forced into a fence at one point and off the sidewalk into the snowy grass later in the same walk. What happened? I thought of ignorance (they didn't know there was any strategy involved), oblivion (weren't aware of anyone else around them), arrogance (they need the space and others have to accomodate themselves to that fact), inexperience (they're adults but they weren't raised as walkers so they haven't practiced the rules and conventions).

We all have our reasons for moving. I'd like to get back to my focus on the journey and not the destination. I hope the pace eases...I'm reminded of Mark Strand's walking and how I also have reasons why I like to move smoothly through space.