Thursday walks on sunny days are only complicated when the walker is distracted and/or others careless. I confess my walk was done with headphones in and eyes affixed to my iPhone. (Scoff) I’ve mastered this art: the walking and “iPhone-ing”. Music, reading, tweeting, picture taking, messaging all while walking is modern day muscle memory. Then why, on this day, was I finding the task of walking so difficult? A 15 minute walk yielded 3 trips, 1 stubbed toe, and a near fall. With headphones off, iPhone put away, and a clear and focused mind inspecting the path I concluded, THE SIDEWALKS ARE TO BLAME.
What you don’t see beyond the screen is a path that changes in elevation, materiality, pattern, texture, and condition. Some of these changes are enforced, others selected, and others formed by the moving city. Assuming a straight and uniform public path while plugged in yields embarrassing results as I found on that Thursday walk (lol). Next time you’re out an about set aside the tiny machine and study your path – if not for the mere pleasure of doing so, then to save yourself the gawks and horn honking from those passerby’s that witnessed the product of your ESPN box score viewing and the sidewalk panel raised 2” higher than the last. :-/

BA to MFA: Still Motion of a Changing Path