People Watching

It is one of my favorite past times. I can sit in a park and just watch people all damn day. But along with my observation, I tend to make up really elaborate back stories for people. Without even thinking I create whole scenarios. Where do these people go when they leave the park? What do they do for fun? What are they probably saying to the person they are with right this moment?

I have always had a very vivid imagination. As a child I was the youngest by seven years so much of my youth was spent creating. I actually wrote a book when I was eleven. It was very Sweet Valley High. I have a chapter of it in a memory book. It's very well written, but the content makes me laugh every time. Very in depth descriptions of her Esprit outfits, and how she hopes this time it's really love. I'm glad I have it.

There is an African-American woman that I walk by almost every weekday morning on my walk in to work. She walks swiftly. She is exercising. She has nowhere to go but to healthy. She smiles. We always say, "Good morning." I often wonder does she have a family and kids to provide for her as she ages. I hope that she has a support system. She seems like a gentle soul. Her smile is bright and quick to appear. She is beautiful.

There is a homeless man I always saw outside of Starbucks. I named him Mike because he wouldn't tell me his real name when I asked. I would always ask if he was hungry or needed a cup of coffee. I imagined him in his younger years with a home and a family. I thought something tragic happened and it sent him in to a depression which led him to the streets. He is a human being like I am. I wish people didn't try to look through him. One of his legs got bad and I saw him using a walker. I searched high and low and got a wheelchair for him. I still don't know his name, but every time I see him pulling himself along in the wheelchair, I know he's going to be okay, if not at least for now.

There is a man who walks through capitol park bellowing. He has the voice of Barry White mixed with Marvin Gaye. He sings so loudly you can hear him from the other side of the park. He is obviously mentally ill. I sometimes think I should record him so he can go viral. He deserves to be making money for that voice. He sings without hesitation and with passion. He sings gospel and other soulful tunes. I saw him the other day along with some people in the park playing music. He belted out tunes. I stopped and watched, and I smiled. They invited me to join them. I politely declined. I had somewhere to be. But I was glad they were there having fun and singing so I could hear. I know it wasn't for me, but it kind of felt like it was.

Maybe I am not so much a people watcher as I am a people observer. I can tell someone is insecure by their body language or the way they utter a sentence. I know the people who I will like within moments of being in their presence. I have been known to walk up to people and say, "You need to be my friend. We would get along." I enjoy human interaction. I enjoy the stripped down version of someone that they are when they think no one else is watching. I like the raw truth of someone yelling, or someone crying, or someone laughing so hard they snort.

Happy picture of the day: New Orleans. I will soon be staying at the Chateau Bourbon with my best friend. I am starting to get giddy. It's less than a month away now. I can't wait!

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