I spent a large portion of last week traveling so was unable to do much posting. This is more of a rant than anything.

We need to teach people how to walk in our society – imagine classes on “Purposeful Striding” “Not Blocking Doorways” and “How to Walk Into a Store Without Blocking Traffic.”

There is a societal epidemic of aimless wandering and obliviousness. Walking through the airport, I watched as more than a few people would simply stop without stepping out of the traffic flow – to braid their hair, adjust their ties, search their pockets for signs of intelligent life.

Arriving home yesterday, I made a trip to Costco to stock up on fruits and vegetables. Walking into the store, I ran down two women who had stepped inside the door and for no apparent come to a complete halt – blocking entrance to the store for anyone behind them. My cart knocked their purses out of their hands. When the brunette said, “Well excuuuuuse us” I said, “I will when you stop blocking the doorway.”

It’s amazing to me how many people wander through public spaces with no sense of direction or seeming desire to get where they’re going. Conversely, the people who simply stop in the middle of a crowd for no apparent reason. I watched this weekend as a rather large woman dragging three suitcases through the airport simply stopped walking. Three people behind her crashed into her. Why not step out of the way? Two steps to the right – easy. But no. Not five minutes later I watched as a man sprinted through the airport, weaving his way in and out of the crowd with the skill of a New York City cabbie. Without warning and for no clear reason, a family with about 100 screaming kids stepped got up from their seats, stepped into the walkway and stopped moving. (I’m not exaggerating – they suddenly rose en masse and walked exactly 10 feet into the middle of the walkway and froze in place.) I’m still not sure how he managed to leap over them without breaking a leg.

Not to be too serious, but it’s amazing to me how many people seem to be completely oblivious to people around them. At luggage claim in the Salt Lake Airport, I saw my bag, stepped into an open space, actually had my hand on the handle when a man pushed the woman to my right out of his way, reached across my body from the right to the left to grab his bag. When the woman said, “Excuse me,” he stared at her as if she had appeared out of thin air. His bag circled the luggage carousel while the woman claimed her suitcase.

While waiting in line to buy food at the Denver airport, the couple in line ahead of me were shocked – shocked I tell you!- when they were expected to pay for their food. The clerk at the register told them their total, they stared blankly at him a moment, then began digging through pockets, purse and backpack looking for money. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been in a grocery store and seen the same dynamic – as if somehow people are unaware that this financial transaction will take place and the sudden realization that the must exchange money for goods catches them unprepared with their debit card, check, cash or credit card. The rest of us stand and wait while they dig frantically for the means of payment.

Like most rants this is largely without a conclusion. It was frustrating to spend an entire weekend traveling and shopping and encountering the legions of the clueless that swarm America’s public spaces. I’m not sure what solution exists. But it would be nice.