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It's true. I love people watching. It’s probably my favorite past time. We all think everyone does it once in a while but I think it is actually up there as one of America’s favorite past times. Probably right next to baseball...well, close to it anyway. Certainly if the boys are out looking at the baseball game, the girls are right next to them observing the other fans as much as the players on the field!

So what is people watching and why do we do it?

Hmmm. Well the first question is easy enough. Speaking for me, people watching is simple. I sit for hours and just watch people of all shapes and sizes stroll on by. Typical people watching behavior. When they pass by, I try to get a sense of who they are by the way the walk, their body language, the way the dress, what they’re doing, what they look like, etc. Not scientific but I’m going for a general vibe not hard fact. I get a real kick out of small groups because I like to spot who is who in the group. “That’s the leader of that pack.” “She’s the sweet one.” “Looks like she’s going through a hard time.” “I wonder why she’s smiling so much…” And so on.

The “why” is more intriguing. I don't know if it’s just curiosity or something else but I'm fascinated by people’s idiosyncrasies and get a special kick out of weird behavior. It’s a little like watching a movie in which a strange character walks into the scene and you tell yourself “Oh this one should be good!” In the end it’s like I build up my own person TMZ but with everyday people.

People watching probably has a lot to do with how we learn to read and gauge people from day 1. I remember when I was younger - geez that makes me sound old…anyway - I remember going to clubs and sitting there and just staring at people. Yes, sounds like I’m the weirdo but I would honestly prefer that to carrying about and being the observee (probably not a word but I’ll use it anyway). Plus, I had the benefit of being in the best spot to separate the players from the real men. Nothing quite like seeing a man go about his business when he doesn’t know he’s being observed!

Anyway, now I’m all about watching couples interact. Who’s the clingy one? Who looks around? Are they really happy? What kind of relationship do they have? Wow, how the heck does that work??? You can really tell so much by watching couples. Well, at the very least you can really think you can tell a lot.
Now that I think about it, I wonder who people-watching me and what I look like to them!

Jen

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