One of the things I’ve noticed through four years of undergrad and a month or so of graduate school is that as you get older, life gets busier. And when you’re having a busy day and trying to get things done, there is nothing worse than people getting in your way –literally.

I am a quick walker. Generally, when I’m moving place to place by foot, I have a destination and I get there fast.

In the military –or at least the Coast Guard- it’s called “moving with a purpose.” Moving with a purpose means you know where you want to go and you don’t lollygag getting there.

Not too many people move with a purpose, especially around college campuses. When I’m walking from my office in Bowman to the Student Center for lunch, people just seem to get in the way. The esplanade becomes a congested mess of students moving at a snail’s pace with me briskly maneuvering between them.

For God’s sake, I don’t run. I’m not sprinting or even jogging to get to Subway for my five dollar footlong. I just want to get some food, get back and eat lunch without wasting half the day doing it.

There may be no easy solution to this problem for myself and other faster-paced walkers. If you want to sloth around campus, go for it. Maybe just try to keep to the edges, or avoid walking five across, rendering the rest of the sidewalk, hallway or other walkway congested.

That’s just one way that people get in the way. The other day I literally saw three people standing by the doors of Bowman at the base of the stairwell just chatting away. Never mind that other people –maybe with places to get to swiftly- were trying to get down the stairs and out the door.

Some people just seem to love standing around in the most ridiculous places. The other day I was trying to walk down some stairs and there was actually someone sitting on the bottom steps. The steps weren’t that wide. Was that the best place you could think of sitting?

Sure, maybe I could just sidestep these people, or at least deal with the fact that we’re all sharing the same space, and maybe some people just want to move a little more slowly. But maybe a little courtesy isn’t too much to ask for.

It’s not like I expect senior citizens to be walking across campus or moving down hallways at the same pace as myself.

There is a scene from an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” where Larry David is walking down a hallway trying to get to a doctors appointment, and a larger woman is lollygagging down the hall, swerving from side to side. His frustration is much the same as mine. I’m not asking you all to “move with a purpose,” but maybe just try and be aware of those among us who are.