We are always occupying space.
We occupy space in check-out lines, in restaurant booths, and in dressing rooms. We are comfortable with those spaces and share a covenant to follow accepted social conduct within those spaces. We answer, “I’m good” when the check-out person asks us how our day is going and we place our napkins in our laps after our food is ordered. It is when public space is disturbed that it catches our attention.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2011.