I’d just turn around. Why on Earth would any sane person care if you did that? Or even notice?
Really? Honestly? None of you guys would have a moment of hesitation?
Now granted, everyone really is looking at me. But I do feel like a huge dork when I have to change directions.
Great question!
I’ll step out of the flow of traffic and stop for a minute (meaning, in actuality, no more than 10 seconds) then turn around and go back. That both communicates “hm, I just thought of something…” to my imaginary audience, and also keeps me from bumping into someone who’s not expecting a quick change in direction from me.
This happened to me once as I was walking back from the grocery store with my groceries – I realized I had passed my apartment. So I circled around the whole block with my groceries just to avoid suddenly switching directions.
I’ve been aware of other people all my life. This has relaxed a lot as I get older; to the point where most of the time I don’t even care. But the walking thing…yeah, I still notice the walking thing.
At work it happens at least once a month, that I park somewhere else that I don’t normally, and I start walking in the wrong direction. In the beginning I would even go back to the office (it’s not far) but now I just walk off in the correct direction, though I am embarrassed. I try to be as casual as I can. I hate doing it and I am self-conscious.
It’s happened to me, and I just turn around. Why would anyone do differently?
Even if I’m driving. I was once driving somewhere, and it took me at least a half hour before I realized I was going in the wrong direction. I have no idea where I thought I was going.
It isn’t silly at all (as you mentioned in an earlier post.) I’d probably go down to the next crosswalk, cross the street, etc. I am hugely self conscious.
Oh, and Reply
Yes. Yes they do. And I’m glad I’m not the only person who has noticed.
I really don’t think about it.
Although I will do sort of a U turn and not stop dead so the person behind me doesn’t crash into me.
I do a round off, land it, and then proceed back the direction I came.
This is my MO, too. It’s kind of a D’oh! thing, ya know? Completely involuntary.
Sometimes these things defy logic. I want to say that I’d turn around without a second thought, because I agree with you entirely… However, the truth is that I’m sure I’ve had many moments where (entirely illogical) embarrassment would have caused me to do one of the things mentioned in the OP.
Yes, people are bizarre.
Great question! I do the pause/step out of the flow like I’ve thought of something and then turn around. I do feel a bit self conscious about it.
Well, if it were a massive crowd, I’d say “I’m sorry” or “excuse me” to anyone I bump into. That’s just being polite.
But that’s rare. No one normally walks close enough to other people for it to be a problem.
I involuntarily utter a mild oath (“shoot!” or “damn!”) and then correct myself. This is also what a do three or four times every day when I’ve a) pressed the wrong elevator button; b) stepped out of the elevator on the wrong floor; c) started to exit the building on the wrong side for where I’m trying to go; e) tried to use my house keys as my building security badge, tried to use my building security badge as my ATM card, tried to use my ATM card as my transit pass, or tried to use my transit pass as my house keys; f) walked all the way down to the printer, and then gotten halfway back to my desk before I realized that I forgot to pick up the document I printed; g) gotten on a train going in the wrong direction; or h) exited a train at the wrong stop. If I had any self-consciousness left, I’d never go out in public at all.
This used to happen in our old office building a lot - we had fewer parking spaces than employees so it was always a dash for a spot and you couldn’t establish “your” spot and go back to the same one or even the same area every day. So every day it was a crapshoot as to which side of the parking lot I’d parked on. And more than once (a week! :smack:) I went out the wrong door and walked through part of the parking lot before realizing that I was all the way on the other side of the parking lot. Fortunately not a lot of people’s desks faced out towards the parking lot so not too many people noticed.
And I generally just turned around because there really wasn’t any way, given the layout of the parking lot and building, to be subtle about it.
Sake of argument nothing, I did it just before coming into the office at lunch. A street was being worked on, a sign said pedestrians to go around the work. I thought it meant keep off the side street completely. I saw it just meant walk down the side of the lorry present, but I didn’t want to turn around and walk back. So I went the long way, all the way around the building to get into the office.
Plus, I can’t make phonecalls in front of others either. Don’t know why, just get a bit freaked out by it.
That’s why I love the city, I’ll never leave.
When I discover I’m going the wrong way, I put on my turn signal, move to the left lane, and cross the median and accelerate into the opposite lane of the highway.
I live in Texas. What is this “walking” you speak of? Rumor has it that some cities have little narrow highways* just for people, alongside the road. Can’t say I’ve ever seen one, tho’.
pullin
*Not making this up. My neighborhood voted against allowing the city to install sidewalks. Folks didn’t want strangers wandering across ‘their’ lawns. :rolleyes:
I’d just turn around,people probably aren’t even aware of your existance until you start furtively looking in shop windows,slapping yourself on the forehead and giving other people knowing looks etc. in an attempt not to look foolish.
You think other people actually notice or care? And if they do, so fucking what? Holy shit people.
Snap my fingers in an “Oh damn it” kind of way and turn around.