Tread Lightly

Last Thursday, as I approached a corner of the small cube farm I work within, I heard my boss ask, "My God, the floor is shaking — who is doing that?" I announced cheerfully that it was I. She tried to recover by saying that it must be just the way I walk. And it could be true, if I were a small person. My boss has been known shake the floor with her intense strides — she only weighs about 120 lbs. To reiterate this experience, on Saturday, my wife and I ran into our downstairs neighbor as we left for our tiny trip to the beach. He asked us if we could try to walk a bit lighter, and said that the pounding was driving him insane and keeping him from sleeping. Merry thought it could be the cat, who jumps around a lot, but our neighbor described it thus: "I hear you walking and it sounds like you're lifting the couch and dropping it repeatedly."

Honestly, I don't walk heavily for someone my size. But now I tiptoe around the apartment and take small, slow steps at the office. But I'm about as adept at treading lightly physically as I am figuratively.

Scuse me while I stomp off to bed.