In front of South College, I saw a man-made path across the grass connecting the road and another sidewalk. This path was created because students used the shortest path possible to get from one point to another. Rivers follow their windy path that has been created over time by eroding rock and sediment, but every so often, the river will cut a new path that travels straight through a section of land instead of winding. It is as if the water is desperate to reach the ocean and decides to travel straight there, just as the students did.
I really like this idea or shortest path possible and the way rivers do the same with constantly modifying their paths.