the art of observation

I am a self-proclaimed people watcher. I’m not ashamed; some of my best entertainment [and insight] has come from observing others. I am a huge fan of the streetcar commute because it allows me to observe the same people on a day-to-day basis, and I find it interesting to see their routinely habits. You might say to yourself, hmm Danielle is not a people watcher, she is a creeper…but I assure you not. I am not one of those people that stare at others in an uncomfortable nature; no I am just a person that finds human interaction and human behaviour extremely interesting.

To date, some of my best observations have occurred on the streetcar. There is one lady on the streetcar that brings fresh-cut flowers from her garden every Monday morning. I assume they are for her desk at work, and I like her routine. There is a man on the streetcar [that I have watched commute for 2 years] that will only sit in one particular seat, if it’s not available, he will stand. He ends up standing most days, which boggles my mind because there are so many other seats available. I wonder if he has OCD, or whether he has a certain attachment to that seat. There is another man that never says a word to anyone, he looks shy and uncomfortable the entire streetcar ride and every day I smile at him attempting to get some sort of reaction but so far, no dice. There is another woman that sits at the back of the streetcar and places her bags on the seat beside her. When a person asks her if they can sit down beside her [politely I might add] she proceeds to ‘huff’ and stare them down the entire time she is moving her bags. She makes a huge production out of the matter and I can’t help but wonder why someone would waste so much energy on being so negative to others; I have seen her do this at least four times.

I like observing others; I find that it is an interesting way to gain some insight into one’s self. I think that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they act when they think no one is watching, and conversely the way they act when they think that there are people watching them. I am always aware that there are probably those ‘people watching’ me, and that is why I attempt to project an attitude of positivism. I know that I am guilty of the same routine day in and day out, but human beings are creatures of habit, so that is to be expected. I sometimes wish that I could gain more insight into those strangers I see every morning, I wonder if my analysis of them is correct or whether I am way off and actually have no idea what their lives are like. I guess I will never really know, so for now I will continue my observations quietly in my head.