The People In My Neighborhood

This morning while riding the bus to work I was reminded of the song that was sung on Sesame Street when I was growing up..."Who Are The People In Your Neighborhood?"

I am a People Watcher by nature.  I love to observe people and then concoct my ever so amazing version of their life story, and what things in their life make them the way they are.  Not in a negative, judgemental way, but as in, "who are you and why are you the way you are?"  Maybe it could be considered judging, but I like to look at it more as inventing personalities. 

Who are the people I see each day?

• Well, there is the odd gentleman in his mid thirties, who gawks at me each morning, and  one morning sat right beside me in a half empty bus staring at me.  He has probably been under-estimated, ridiculed all his life and has a deep desire just to be noticed. 
• Or the mother/son who ride the bus and get off at different stops.  They talk every day like they are catching up, I find it pleasantly engaging to watch. 
• Then there is the girl who I have deemed the brilliant scholar, although I am sure she works in a downtown office, she is never without her Kobo, walking and reading at the same time.  I picture her as a newly wed, probably works at a bank or lawyer's office.  Smart and articulate, loved by all, but most likely to walk into a post while reading her book. 
• A Taylor Swift look-a-like who sits quietly with earphones and listening to her Ipod bracing herself from the surging stops and starts of the bus.
• The heavy set lady who walks with a cane and wears a knitted hat each day.
• And my favorite is the little boy who rides home with his mom every afternoon.  She wears scrubs with the logo of a local tech school on her top.  She is of middle-eastern decent and often scolds him in her native tongue. I wish I could understand more languages, the things you would learn!   The little boy is so cute but an obvious streak of mischief sparkles in his eyes.  I think he will be a chick magnet when he is older.

Do you ever take the time to watch the people around you each day or are you too busy getting to where you need to go that you don't notice?  People watching  can also be described as Naturalistic Observation. 

Watching people in their own natural environment is an intriguing moment at any time.  When someone unaware that they are being observed, they act more natural and be who they really are inside.  They have no barriers, no guards, and show who and what they really believe.  Check out this video from YouTube.

Bus Stop Dancing Queen

I recall years ago my sister and I were travelling home from Vancouver, British Columbia.  As we sat "Naturally Observing" the busy travelers enter and exit the restrooms.  We giggled, laughed and discussed what history each person had.

Unexpectedly we realized how small the world really was as we gawked at the unique individuals.  Lo and behold out of the women's washroom came a young man, not just any man, but one who we knew from a totally different community.  Wholly Smokes..."The Women's Washroom???"  This laughter was followed by our wild imaginations as to why he was in there and OMG what would people say if we told.  I only wish that cell phones had been a part of my life back then.  A camera would have come in handy!

Who knows what the real reason for his using the women's washroom.  Lord knows we did not see him enter, but we sure as heck saw him leave.  One could only begin to guess at the varying reasons, but it sure gave us a good laugh. 

So as you go about your day, remember, people like me are watching you, observing your behaviour and then giving you a story that probably has so little to do with who and what you are that it would make your head spin. 

BW