The Hill is Alive… (with remarkable rhythm and roadblocks)

There’s a lot of talk about the pace of life. Rhythm, harmony, tapping your feet to the un-orchestrated beat. Near the end of the semester, the pulse begins to race like that of a person winded from taking the stairs, and I know I�m hardly the only one to notice.
The thing is, I know I walk faster, talk faster, write faster, and more when this time of the semester hits. It’s like I�m the oh-so- memorable Energizer Bunny, so cool with those little shades on… But I refuse to wear sunglasses indoors.


By Karissa Kilgore,
Staff Writer
There’s a lot of talk about the pace of life. Rhythm, harmony, tapping your feet to the un-orchestrated beat. Near the end of the semester, the pulse begins to race like that of a person winded from taking the stairs, and I know I�m hardly the only one to notice.
The thing is, I know I walk faster, talk faster, write faster, and more when this time of the semester hits. It’s like I�m the oh-so- memorable Energizer Bunny, so cool with those little shades on… But I refuse to wear sunglasses indoors.
My problem is when I�m moving right along, trying to get where I need to go, and suddenly there’s a roadblock.
I�m not talking about PennDOT either. I mean people: maybe just one, probably a group, it might be in a car, but I�m always glad I had my brakes checked – whether my actual brakes or just my sneakers and mental brakes. If I�m on my way to class or some other appointment it might seem like a warpath, because I�m moving really quickly, I might not say �Hi,� and if I get stopped I seem faraway because my brain kept moving while my body stopped to talk.
The congregations of people blocking up vital passageways and entrances is truly remarkable. It never ceases to amaze me how these little eddies in the stream of movement pop up in the worst possible places! Parking in the middle of the road, yakking in front of the ice cream display in the dining hall, parlaying at intersections of hallways, holding conferences in the middle of a stairwell, taking up the entire width of the sidewalk, arguing in front of the bathroom door!
Can’twe move our meetings to the wayside? I know, I know: you think I�m just in a hurry, why didn’tI leave more time to get there, who am I to complain if I�m a member of the human population, too, etc. etc. No. The thing is, I know I�m not the only one that’s put off by this random interruption of the flow.
It’s awkward. The rhythm of life skips a beat or altogether stops when this occurs. Sometimes there are honking horns to fill the silence, and most of the time people just mumble to themselves. (Are you a mumbler?)
As my last column for the year, I�ll reiterate a previous suggestion that just-so-happens to make life easier for everyone, so it’s pretty worthwhile: be considerate.
This goes beyond shutting the elevator doors and not jamming up the hallway with your �meeting of the minds.�
Pay attention to those around you and be aware of their needs, too. That golden rule never looked so good in the sunlight we�ve got at the close of this semester.
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