Walk this way

Now that I've rejoined the happy ranks of those who rely upon public transit for their daily commute, I've been walking less. But I still have about a 15-minute walk between where I work and my bus stop. This means that I'm now walking among a lot more people than before.

Now, I walk fast. Fast enough that I tend to pass a lot of people. Almost nobody passes me unless they're on a bicycle or blades. But the other day, I met my match, literally: a guy whose walking pace was exactly the same as mine.

For better than three city blocks, we chugged along side by side, stride for stride, neither willing to fade into second place yet neither wanting to surge ahead in an obvious bid for the lead. This is weird, I thought. I've never come across someone who walks at exactly the same speed as I do. So as we neared the end of our fourth block of walking abreast, I finally had to speak up: "We apparently have the same walking speed," I remarked.

To which the guy responded, "I was just thinking the same thing. I usually walk faster than people. I've never seen someone who walks exactly the same speed as me!"