I decided to look back today. Literally.
My new thing for the day was a simple one. I spent all day walking backwards. I walked in and out of the bathroom backwards. I walked out of my house backwards, opening the door behind me and closing it in front of me as I left. I got into and out of my car backwards (not to worry, I didn't drive backwards). I walked across the street and into my office backwards. I went up stairs backwards, and I entered rooms backwards. I went grocery shopping while walking backwards, pulling the cart along with me.
What surprised me the most about doing this was how difficult and tiring it actually was. Because I'm so used to walking a certain way (you know, the normal way), changing my stride threw me for a loop. Constantly feeling like I was going to bump into something was not new, however, as my clumsiness made me accustomed to that feeling years ago.
I got a lot of funny looks as I walked backwards in public. Cars honked, and more than a few people gave me a cartoon double-take. A few people asked what I was doing or if I needed any help. After awhile, I settled on "I lost a bet" as a legitimate excuse. I had a feeling that "I'm writing a blog about doing something new every day" wasn't going to fly with the gas station attendant.
To my amazement, the vast number of people I encountered today didn't do or say anything. The family that I met with after their tour didn't say anything, even though I backed into the room to meet them and then backed them out of the room when I was finished. The clerk at the grocery store didn't say anything, even though I looked like I was playing bumper carts with the next person in line. And some of my office mates didn't say anything either. I guess they're just used to me by now.
Maybe I'm just very observant, but I feel like I would have noticed if someone was doing something this strange. In fact, I know that I would. Picking out the odd and bizarre things in my daily life is something that I do all of the time. I come by it honestly, as one of my mother's favorite past times is people watching. What can I say, I learned from the best. I just hope that I made for good people watching for someone out there as they drove by me.
It's important to look behind us to see where we've been, and walking backwards all day gave me a new perspective of the way I move through my daily life. It made me more aware of my surroundings, and in doing so, it made me think about the directions I use to get from point a to point be. I hope to continue to be more aware...going forward.
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