There are many cruel monsters in this world such as murderers, thieves, and gang members. The less commonly known monsters are the ones who touch you to get you to move. As a person who respects personal boundaries, I don’t touch strangers. Normally when someone’s in my way or I need to grab their attention, I say the magic words: “Excuse me”. People who don’t understand the concept of personal boundaries also probably don’t understand the power of the these two words. These two words can wondrously make anyone get out of your way without having to use your hands. Amazing, right?

The feeling of a stranger’s nasty, germ infested, “I-don’t-know-where-those-hands-have-been” hands makes my skin crawl. I’ll never know if that person’s hands were freshly disinfected or if they’ve just finished scratching their butt. I get it, most people aren’t spreading the Bubonic Plague by touching people, but why risk it?

The concept of the personal bubble and keeping your hands to yourself is one that most learned at the ripe age of three. It’s one of the most simple codes in the handbook of life, along with saying “excuse me”. It’s like saying “open sesame” or “abra-cadabra” in the sense that as soon as the words pour out of your mouth, the action is done or the person in your way will move.

To me, Disney World is not the most magical place on Earth. The amount of sweaty,  obnoxious children (and their parents) is overwhelming to me. So naturally, when we got to go home, I was pretty elated. While waiting our turn for the trolly back to the car, a man who was trying to get his family (who were ahead of me in line) grabbed me by the shoulders and physically moved me slightly to the left. Not only did he cut me family and I in line, he had the audacity to put his greasy paws on me and move instead of just saying “excuse me”.

Unfortunately, I did not address this scoundrel directly because apparently calling an adult out for something that’s bothersome is more disrespectful than literally physically moving someone because they’re in your way.

Some people are just naturally touchy, and I understand that, but these “monsters” need to realize that most people don’t want random strangers to touch them. Some people also believe that where they need to be is more important than what you’re doing which is just blatantly inconsiderate. Strangers who touch other people probably don’t realize other people are irritated by their casual grazings, but they need their eyes opened for them.