There are buildings which act as a buffer between the sidewalk and my preferred walking path. Occasionally I’ll see people in the distance leaning up against the buildings or walking in circles, taking smoke breaks from work or just killing time. Or there might be a USPS or UPS delivery van unassumingly parked in an empty lot, as the driver has some minutes to relax and contemplate going postal.

As I approach these people on my way to wherever I’m going, they eventually notice me nearing and it’s as if my presence wakes them from their train of thought. They usually leave the spot they had kept till noticing me, back to work or somewhere else, as if they’ve suddenly been made aware that more time has passed than they had thought. In the case of parked vehicles, they’ve often moved to the edge of the lot looking to get back on the main road shortly after I’ve walked passed.

USPS and UPS parked vans are the worst. It’s easy to believe that their drivers, when taking a break parked in an empty lot, consider the land in their field of view to be their property and that any moving thing encroaching on their territory is disturbing the peace. Just consider how profound it could be for a person who spends their days repetitively delivering an ever-regenerating supply of mailings to their destinations to pull into a quiet area, kill the engine, and close their eyes. “Stop walking on my land, fucker. I’ll run you over.”