I've Been Watching You!

Anyone remember the song Sweat from the group Inner Circle? “I’ve been watching you, a la la la la long…..”  Ok not in a weird or judgmental way, but just ‘cause I’m curious about people. I love to people watch. I’m perfectly happy standing in line at Christmas time, fighting the crowds at the mall, waiting for a table in a crowded restaurant……whatever the reason that allows me the opportunity to check out the people around me. Y’all are very interesting.

Having recently moved from living on 10 acres of land, with not much around me, to an apartment…… has given me a plethora of people to watch. It’s like Christmas every day! There is an abundance of people around to choose from. One of my favorites is the guy next door to me that is going through a divorce. He likes to go outside to have long phone conversations with people about the latest drama in his life so as not to let his sons, inside his apartment, overhear the nastiness. Instead, the entire building hears it. I get a little rush when I hear his voice out in the breezeway. I confess that I have even cracked the door to better hear the next installment of his woes. (I hope he doesn’t read this!) There are always moving trucks outside with people moving in or out. Talk about people watching….you can learn so much about people from checking out their stuff! I’ll consider counseling when this hobby becomes an obsession. I’m not there yet, I promise!

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed quietly observing the interactions and idiosyncrasies of people around me. It can be very amusing to say the least. Especially during the holiday season! If you have a best friend to share it with, it makes it even better. Because then one of you can observe an “interesting subject” while the other observes everyone else doing the same thing you are doing….checking out the weirdo! Ooops, that was my out loud voice…..I did say I wasn’t judging. And really, for the most part, I’m not. But sometimes you have to allow categories for these things. There are the normal people that hold my interest just because I like to see how people interact with others in various situations. And then there are the bizarre individuals that catch even the non-people watchers’ eyes………the ones that you see at Walmart or in airports. During the Christmas season, they tend to get out more so it’s quite a smorgasbord.

If you’re wondering if I’ve ever been a victim of being watched, the answer is yes. When I notice that I’m providing amusement for someone I can’t get too upset. Every once in a while I have to get some payback. Probably Karma…. I’m cool with that. It’s the least I can do for all of the years of surveillance I’ve enjoyed. When I mentioned that I was going to write this article, my daughter was amused. She has witnessed my people watching over the years and can’t quite get into it. She’s young, I’m giving her time….


Kathryn Crawford Wheat


WomansInSite.com