People watching.....

Today I offered to take a friend to the courthouse because they needed a ride. I figured I would be there for a couple hours so I prepared a gigantic thermos of coffee and took a good book. In reality I was there for over 4 hours because a high profile case went before hers and she had to wait longer than usual.

I decided to wait in my car, figuring it would be more comfortable and also offer a greater variety of people to watch. I used my handicapped placard and found a great parking spot close to the main entrance of the building offering a wonderful view of the variety of people coming and going. I would say that I spent equal time people watching as I did reading my book while I waited. Its been a long time since I've people watched and I think its good for your soul. Some people may make you envious but then others make you grateful to be in your own skin. Most of the time, the gratefulness outshines the envy. The first essential item you need is a good pair of dark sunglasses so you can check out things without being caught doing it. I watched all colors, all sizes and all ages....not to mention social skills ranging from restrained and respectable to slovenly and ignorant. The only thing these people had in common other than being mammals, was that everyone was in a hurry! Your imagination can go wild on such watching excursions as you picture what sort of lifestyle each person may lead. After devoting much time to this delightful pass-time, I have ascertained the following:

~ Old, untanned men should never wear shorts
~ Old, untanned men should never wear sandals with socks
~ Old, untanned men should never wear sandals with brown socks
~ Heavy women should not wear crop tops
~ Heavy women should not wear shorts
~ Pregnant women should not wear skin tight clothing
~ Bright red lipstick and blue eyeshadow on an 80 yr old is not recommended
~ Long dread locks just don't do a thing for old gray-haired men
~ If you have a huge beer belly, buy shirts big enough to cover it
~ Pants worn so the crotch is knee level is just plain wrong
~ Why do some women think that ankle length skirts and over blouses look good together.
~ I was impressed that so many women dressed so professionally. They looked good!!!
~ I was dismayed that so many women dressed so horribly to go to work (had work badges on)
~ Brown dress shoes with a navy suit.....ummmm not so good
~ Some professional men were a wrinkled mess
~ Some professional men were picture perfect without a wrinkle in sight
~ I get bonus points for spying one person who forgot to take the size tag off their pantleg
~ One woman saw me watch her throw her chewing gum in the flowers (boy, did she look guilty)

We are a nation of opposites for sure and that's what makes people watching so much fun. But I'll tell ya, the ones who were dressed weird and acted weird were the ones that caught your attention and held it more than the others. One women hacked up and spit on the sidewalk.....I'd never seen a woman do that before. I was embarrassed for her.

One women came out and went back in several times and she was absolutely striking. With every hair in place and a neat black suit with heels, she was a head-turner. She had to be someone's executive secretary.....or at least she looked the part.

I could not believe how tired I was from just sitting there waiting......and watching. I had to come home and take a nap.