I always take the stairs in the middle.
Most airports have the setup – an escalator on either side, with a steady stream of people standing there… then a wide, empty staircase in the middle that is rarely used.
Anyway, I like to spring up the stairs with my “typically-over-the-weight-limit” carry-on, because I figure it’s the least I can do seeing as most travel days are spent sitting inanimately.
On the last step, I completely miss it.
Something had caught my eye beyond the stairs, and I trip – a textbook trip too. I was completely not present and once the fall began, not even close to saving myself either. My overweight bag looping me around in a spin.
I collect my things, and get up, then start walking again.
I love when these little events happen – of course, when they aren’t serious.
There are two responses that are fun to look at. Firstly is your own physical and physiological reaction – breaking the fall, breath rate changes, tension in the body, postural changes afterwards… Usually the body responds faster than the brain realises what has happened, it’s pretty amazing.
Then secondly, the reaction of the crowd. I look around at the crowd and watch people look away as fast as possible.
See, the crowd prefers regularity.
In this case, at 7am, there was a conflict in their expected flow of events – they didn’t want to see some guy tripping up, perhaps they thought: “poor guy, he must feel pretty embarrassed, I better pretend I didn’t see him,” so they look away.
Fair enough. But for whatever reason, as humans we typically don’t like disruptions to the status quo. We see this all the time – a low level ignorance of things that don’t “fit.”
When a new person joins the gym, when someone seems a little out of sorts… The status quo is to ignore it as long as possible.
When you are on this side of the fence (the “trippee”), if you are watchful, you can notice this new perspective.
Then of course we get to put the shoe on the other foot.
How is our own posture when someone else trips? Physically? Metaphorically?
How do we react when someone new turns up in the class?
I’m not recommending you go and trip over today, but if you do, definitely see what you can notice.
