To Overtake Or Not?

To overtake or not?

Most of us have experienced this. That funny moment when you’re walking down the street, probably on a narrow lane and someone is ahead of you and you ask yourself, “To overtake or not?”.

Then you make up your mind to overtake the person.

While trying to overtake them, you realize you’re now both walking side by side.

At this point, it’s almost like a race because you’re also trying to increase your own pace to make sure you overtake them and at the back of your mind you know you’re not even in a hurry to get to where you were going in the first place. Hehe!

But why is it funny? I think it’s because we don’t expect it. You’re walking along at your own pace, and then you see someone ahead of you who’s walking a little bit slower.  Then you decide to overtake them, but as you get closer, you realize that they’re actually walking at the same pace as you.

You try to speed up, but they speed up too. You try to slow down, but they slow down too. You’re now trapped in an awkward dance of trying to overtake someone who is walking at your pace.

The funniest part of this situation is that it’s usually so unnecessary! There’s no reason why you can’t just walk next to the other person for a few minutes. But for some reason, we all have this innate desire to overtake the person ahead of us.

Maybe it’s because we want to show that we’re faster. Or maybe it’s because we don’t want to be seen as someone who is slower. Whatever the reason, we all do it.

So next time you find yourself in the awkward situation of walking next to someone at the same pace, just laugh it off. It’s a funny moment that happens to everyone!

How to navigate the awkwardness:

A little patience can go a long way in these situations. If there’s no clear opportunity to pass, consider slowing down for a moment or dropping back slightly. This can signal to the other person your intention to follow and avoid an awkward side-by-side shuffle. Remember, a courteous approach keeps the flow of foot traffic smooth and makes the walk more pleasant for everyone. After all, reaching your destination a few seconds later is a small price to pay for a stress-free journey.