"Don't Stand So Close To Me"

Why do people think if my body is not physically taking up a space, they are automatically entitled to it?!?!?!?

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I have noticed it happening alot lately - the woman who's hangers (which were draped over her arm)kept poking me in the arm, the lady today who stepped almost in front of me while I was in line (well, I was either in line or standing in the middle of the entrance to the 7-11 dreaming about aliens), then realized I wasn't a "zombie" type person, but did put her milk on the counter next to me as soon as I stepped up to the counter, or the gentleman who's chin, had he been a few inches shorter, would have been resting on my shoulder. One day real soon, I'm gonna lose it and scream "BACK OFF"!!!!!

What happened to personal space? What happened to my 4-6 inch bubble? Why do people want to keep invading my bubble?!?!?!? I have noticed the people who keep invading my space fall into 2 catergories: foreigners and older-to-old women. Now, I try and give the foreigners some slack. Various countries have various "bubbles" and I try to remain sensitive to this, but the older women? It's a "oh she's young, she can't be important enough to warrent...space to breathe." Are these people in such a hurry that the 4 inches of space around my body will speed up their day tremendously? Is someone going to slip into the 4-6 inches of space around me, ignoring the 2 or 3 people BEHIND me, and get ahead of them in line?

I realize I am a bit sensitive to this. Four or Five years ago, I was attacked while running/walking one August evening. I'm sure I've told you all this story before. While I was unharmed physically and pretty much emotionally, the one thing I still get freaked out about is people coming up fast behind me. I think this has carried over to people (read: strangers) being too close behind me at all. It takes every bit of effort not to elbow them square in the jaw. To the woman with the hangers at Old Navy, I was two seconds from asking her if she would please step back because she was making me uncomfortable. I think everyone who reads this would be mortified, or at least apologetic if someone said this to him. I'm not quite so sure these people would be anything but angry and rude.

Now, I am pretty good at the art of "boxing out". Any person (well, at least women) who've ever spent even one second in a crowded bar or restaraunt know how to do this - You square your hips and separate your legs to take up as much space as possible. I understand having people pretty near pasted upon me in a crowded place. I don't like to frequent them for this reason, but if I'm there, it's pretty much a given. I DO NOT see the need to be this close to me standing in line....for anything. If I'm standing a foot or so behind the woman who's using her ATM card at the 7-11 counter (yes, this is you the woman with the milk), it's not because I'm lost in a great alien encounter daydream, I'M IN LINE!!!! (and trying to be polite in giving the woman in front of me some space and privacy.)

So, if in the near future, you read a story in the newspaper (or hear on the news, or the radio) that a woman in NJ broke someone's jaw because they were standing too close to her in line, please pool your money for my bail. :)