You are what you eat – it is true of many other things too!!!

I am a perpetual people watcher, I love looking and observing the behaviors of others. I am not sure why I enjoy it or even why I do it but I do and it does not cost me one thin dime. When I get serious about watching folks I find that I wonder about their lives a lot. What kind of childhood, what traumatic events have they lived through –what has lead them to me, at this moment. What is the cause of the behavior they are exhibiting, good or bad? What in their lives caused them to give change to the homeless man, what caused them to not hold that elevator door because they were in a hurry to get someplace? Sometimes it scares me, more then not folks seem to have rude or gruff behavior and seem only concerned about themselves.

Having watched people for so long it has given me a bit of insight into my own actions and behaviors. I knew all along that I was an odd bird with lots of idiosyncratic behaviors, I actually am one with them and cherish them. I don’t want to conform, I am who I am as Popeye the Sailor man used to say and since I was a Sailor back in the day- I am saying it as well. I have learned that we tend to see what we want to see. What does that mean you might ask?? Well if we are happy and in a good mood we will tend to see those behaviors and actions. If we are pissed off at the world and hate everyone, that in turn those are the behaviors and actions we tend to see in others. Weird how that works but it has been my experience that that is an undeniable truth.

Why is that I wonder, seems counterproductive really when you think about it. When you are pissed, you see the ugly in others and then it perpetuates itself into a cascade of pissed off. Think about the last time you were mad in your car, people are pissed off when driving A LOT!! Does it make you feel better to take the frustrations of someone cutting you off on that person by zooming up and cutting them off? Or not letting someone back over, of course not but the anger so clouds our judgment that we don’t even notice the toxic effect the whole thing is having on us. All, due to us transferring our own irritability and bullshit onto someone else – weird I tell ya.

Anyway, I wrote this first part yesterday after being irritated in the morning and watching my own behavior and the effect it was having on those around me. Long story short by noon I was in a much happier mood and I was able to see the opposite reaction in the people who were around me. I went to bed last night feeling damn good about my day and my observations about myself. Well anyway, this morning, as I was leaving the Gate station on my way to watch sunrise, a woman held the door open for me. Now I saw her when she came in and I was obviously late for her, up all night – for me, it was bright and early.

I was purchasing a cup of coffee, she was right in front of me in line. She too was having a cup of coffee, I watched her as she was lovingly and very slowly preparing it. It was black with a couple of ice cubes, funny because I like a couple of cubes in mine as well to drop the temperature a bit. Anyway she paid and I paid and she walked out right in front of me. She had let go of the door already when she saw me right behind her. She reached up with the speed of a Ninja and caught door and opened it back up for me. I said thank you very much. She then said, my pleasure. That set the tone for my whole day. I hold the door a lot for folks and if or when they say thanks, I say my pleasure. It never fails to put a smile on their face. This was the first time that someone had used those words when I said thank you for holding the door. It brightened my day and reinforced why I say it as well.

So lighten up folks and smile. If you stay pissed or irritated, you will see and hear nothing but that. If you smile and laugh, those are the things that will reinforce you belief in who you are.