They’re back. The walker’s wobble and courtesy weave.
We saw them for the first time in the Darkest Days, back when the coronavirus still felt “novel.” We’d retreated to home confinement. Many of us strayed out only to walk.
The problem, of course, was how to stay six feet apart when meeting others also seeking exercise and escape. Pedestrians strolling toward each other had to think: “Will she cross the street, or must I?”
A walker occasionally seemed to signal an intent to move. What measure of indecision gave hint? A half-step? A lean? A turn of the head?
The walker’s wobble.
Then one person overcame hesitation or irritation or self-consciousness to step across the street.
The courtesy weave.
We needed our new social behaviors less in the Hopeful Days. Vaccinations brought release. The wobble and weave waned.
But they’re back. I saw them twice last week during a 10-minute walk. I understood why – the surging Delta variant and what we too politely call “vaccine hesitancy.”
How terribly, achingly sad that we must, again, wobble and weave. And how necessary.
Love.