People Watching… You Have to Admit, We All Do It!

Who are all these people — the ones waiting in the doctor’s office, in line at the grocery store, the DMV, or wandering aimlessly through the shopping mall? My mind starts to wander and suddenly I realize I’m doing it again. PEOPLE WATCHING! You have to admit, we all do it! How many times have you found yourself waiting somewhere with nothing better to do than watch people and start conjuring up what their lives are like? A friend recently posted on Facebook her perception of what she saw in the people waiting with her in the service department of a car dealership. It went like this:

Ho hum…back at the dealership for them to check this drip AGAIN. Pretty irritating, but, as usual, made better with my people watching.

The woman across from me is quite busy – she has one cell phone in her hand checking it furiously, another one in her lap, and an open laptop to her left, a huge purse (cute one, by the way) and a pretty full backpack which I’m convinced has another device in it. I would not want to be on the other end of the email she’s sending – she looks pissed. She keeps sighing loudly. I also like her shoes. That sweater, not so much. I’m such a fashionista so I know these things.

Another woman clearly came prepared for the long haul. Book, sippy juice box, banana, and now a large cup of coffee in her own Winnie the Pooh cup. Wait, she must have eaten something with crumbs prior to my arrival. Evidently she has tons of crumbs on her skirt. She just repositioned herself in her chair. She has on a banana clip. I must befriend her.

The cutest little older gentleman is checking his HUGE smartphone that he carries in his little belt holder. If you know me you know I love myself some old men. He has great calves and is quite the snappy dresser. He just glanced over at the woman with all the electronics with envy. We’re all halfway paying attention to the American Ninja on the TV. The older gentleman and I are the only two making little comments out loud like “oh no!” “Oh goodness” “yikes”. Wait, what’s with all the backpacks people?

Two more people walked in with huge backpacks……uh oh, pregnant lady … and I mean REALLY pregnant … and a backpack. My purse feels insecure.

As a side note, it seems everyone carries a backpack these days, making my friend with the purse feel very insecure. I can’t quite relate to this insecurity as I carry what my family calls “Momma’s bag of tricks,” a large Vera Bradley tote with everything you could ever need at any point in time.

The woman with all the electronics shall be called Lucy from now on. She has a Lucy look to her. Well, Lucy just pulled out a pink notepad. What? That’s a little old school, don’t ya think? I can’t tell exactly what she’s writing, but she has the same expression she did when she was sending that email. Her handwriting is neat. Not surprising. Laptop out, writing a second note. I’m not judging, but she could use a lip wax. I’m not judging, really, I’m not. I haven’t shaved my legs in three days and am thankful in this moment that I have lighter hair than Lucy because I’m probably a little fuzzy myself. Lucy now has her pen in her mouth and typing again. Lucy is probably on her Facebook page talking about the lady next to her with the fuzzy legs and iPad. I wonder if she is envious about how I don’t have to carry a backpack.

New guy just walked in. I would say he’s pregnant, but I think it’s just his croissant baby. He has an outie belly button. I don’t know what to think about that. No backpack either. Lucy is on page two of her notepad.

Winnie the Pooh lady is out of coffee and has a scowl on her face. In the words of the wise Winnie the Pooh when he met Piglet … “As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was going to happen.”

What people watching adventures have you been on lately? Comment on our Facebook page!

Also read these posts:

When Pinterest is not your friend… (An open letter to my son’s new preschool teacher)
Critical Considerations When Choosing Hospice Care at Home
4 Things About Moving That Are Just Stressful (and how to make them suck less)
An Open Letter To The People Who Want My Husband Dead