RSS Feed
Twitter
People Watching
I was downtown Portland, Oregon a couple of days ago waiting for my wife KayCee as she did a meeting. We like to commute together most of the time, one of the perks of working together. As I sat there at the corner of Broadway and Salmon I couldn't help but put down the book I was reading, and started to watch the people as they passed by.
I tend to watch people every now and again as I think many people do, but this time, I watched with a different eye. I watched with an intent to try and imagine what people were doing, where they were coming from, what was their past and what might their future hold.
Keep in mind, my impressions are just that and I know that a cover is not necessarily the judge of the content, yet isn't it true that the cover is what we see first, that the cues we pick up on have nothing to do with words at a first content, or knowing a back story, so it is true that that we first consume information about another based on their appearance. It makes me think of going to Barnes and Noble. When I go, if I am simply going to buy a book purely for enjoyment without an author in mind, what always draws me to grab a book and read the inside cover is what the outside cover looks like. Sometimes its a flashy cover that grabs my eye, and other times it is the beautiful simplicity that entices me to grab it, yet, each time, it is always the outer appearance that captures the imagination at first. In most cases, I don't even read the title before I'm already reaching for it. That being said, take my observations with a grain of salt, and I will sum it up at the end!
One of the first people that walked by was a woman, with red stringy hair, smoking a cigarette, and she held the cigarette in her mouth with the seasoning of a pro, you know, the but somehow hanging from her lip suspended in near mid air. Dressed a bit frumpy, head down, eyes pointing toward the road and not taking in the beautiful day (rare in Portland in Spring) around her. She wasn't wearing makeup and you could tell she had skin that was a casualty of years of smoking. She walked by twice, and as she went by, my thoughts were many. It was easy to feel bad for her, yet at the same time, I wondered what her past was like that had brought her to where she was today. My initial thought was that she must be a soul suck. The kind of person that when you are with them, they take more than they give, and in many cases, you feel like you have to take a shower when you are done talking to them.
Here was an interesting note, I had the pleasure of observing two women her were sight impaired and both were utilizing black labs for their sight companions. They both walked to the stop light with confidence. Heads held high, walking with a definite purpose. As they approached the light, the dog slowed the pace and like the two woman (keep in mind, they weren't together) were synchronized swimmers, they reached their toes out to find the curb, tapped a couple of times to gain confidence in their footing and stopped. Both reaching into a waist pack they were carrying, pulled a dog chew (I'm hoping a juicy steak bite!) out, placed it in the dogs mouth and lovely stroked the dogs face and back. A bond for sure. Out of necessity at first I'm sure, but a relationship that has allowed freedom. I can't imagine walking in one of the busiest areas in one of the top 25 metropolitan cities in the United States without my own eyes. Trust runs deep in those relationships. Someone that would be so fascinating to chat with for a few minutes and see the world through their eyes, because undoubtedly there is a vast world to be discovered without the tool of sight.
Last two that I will mention were sad, exciting, challenged, big dreams, all of those things wrapped up into one. They were two men, one big, one small, both attempting to make it in a competitive professional world. Both were carrying nondescript basic nylon brief cases over their shoulders. The younger more slender man wore navy blue slacks and a navy blue sports jacket that were very close in color but in the sun of the day revealed the non suit suit. The stockier older man with his hair combed over to one side, stiff and brittle, designed to be confident also wore a suit. His actually a suit. They crossed the road coming towards me and they chatted. The older (perhaps the mentor of the younger) took the lead and carried himself with more confidence. Clearly the two were outside salesman, peddling their wares to those that would find value in it. As the two turned the corner and start to walk away, the more seasoned of the twos back vents in his jacket flapped up showing the inner lining of his jacket which was clearly a red satin, and I mean read, as in valentines day red. Now, I know and I am a big fan of creating a little mystery inside a mans suit that is otherwise unassuming with a bit of character in the lining. The fly up however was a telling sign, that the "mentor" was also faking a life he was attempting to build.
Wow, I know what people are thinking, this guy is shallow, yet, there are things we all notice based on our life experience. Someone else may have been attracted to the man, or repulsed as they would remind them of a past experience, I simply was taking note of things that would give me validation, or an insight into what the folks passing by might be doing.
It then led me to the thought of all the doers in life. So many of the people walking by carried umbrellas just in case it rained, obviously walking to a place of predetermined meaning and it got me to think about how most of us are on autopilot. Alarm goes off, we get up, get in the shower, eat breakfast, get in the car, go to work, read our emails, do some work, eat lunch, watch the clock until its 5, jump in the car, drive home, eat a dinner, sit down, throw our feet up, watch a TV program, read a book for a few minutes before bed, turn the lamp off, ensure the alarm is set for the next day, and do it again. We just do, don't think about things, what the consequences are, we don't challenge ourselves because we know what our current circumstance is. To create a change takes a effort, no matter what it is. If you don't read now, what would it take to implement a reading program? Take some time from something else you are doing. Attach a value system with the reading that is a driving force to get you to read on those early days where reading just doesn't seem that interesting to you. Create a positive reinforcement loop for continued reading, all sorts of things go into changing our doer status, and frankly, for most of the people that I saw walking by in that hour that I sat in downtown Portland, I believe the majority will continue to simply flow with the status quo, which honestly, is perfect for them.
