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Some books can be judged by their covers. Oh, they shouldn't be, of course, but human impatience being what it ultimately is, they are. People, like books, can be observed. Often times you can read an entire lifetime into someone by spending a few minutes watching and observing them. I try hard not to judge since judgement is so subjective but I have, on occasion, offered some fairly accurate insights.

Spending an hour or so at the mall can be quite enlightening. Without overtly staring, which raises red flags with the mall police, you can quietly sit on a bench and observe humanity around you. Take that group of teen-age girls ogling that group of teen-age boys across the way. You can almost pick out the cheerleader, the debate team member, the honor roll student, the class clown and the dateless, wallflower majoring in chemical reactive elements. She is one of the female group because her brother is the cutest one in the male group. By allowing her to be part of this sorority of friends, they are allowing themselves access to him. Makes perfect sense to me.

Airports are a particularly good spot for observing people. You have to observe quickly, however, because everyone is always in such a hurry. You can pick out the frequent flyer, the novice flyer, the flyer in mourning, the flyer headed on vacation, the flyer who hates to fly and the flyer who is bored with life and just wants a new experience at 25,000 feet. You are allowed to observe people at an airport but a cardinal rule must be adhered to. Never strike up a conversation with anyone you don't know and will probably never see again. Like the appearance of the mall police, this initiates an immediate call to the TSA people. Watching, or observing, if you prefer. and jotting down fellow travelers little quirks in a leather notebook will most definitely land you in heap of trouble. Once detained you will be strictly observed yourself.

Grocery stores, liquor stores, nail salons, beauty shops, and card outlets are all wonderful places to spend your observing hours. Those who grocery shop at midnight are probably the most interesting. Watching a nocturnal shopper deciding on a microwave dinner is truly an experience worth relating the next day when you wake up.

I personally look at a person's shoes first. I then skip the body and beam right up to the hairstyle. If there's an interesting belt or unusual pendant in my view, I'll make a quick stop at midsection but usually not. Shoes tell you a lot about a person. If they are leather and expensive looking then you know the person wearing them probably has blisters. Right away you have observed and gotten to the root of his/her limp. See how easy observation becomes?

I could go on about this but I think that you would do better to begin with your own observations of your fellow man. As for me, its nearly Christmas Eve and I'm off to the discount store to observe what type of person waits until December 23rd to do their holiday shopping. I hope no one is keen on observing me, however, because I'm wearing my ripped tennis shoes and I have curlers in my hair.

Learn more about this author, Patricia Parker.
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