My school is on Thanksgiving break starting today, and I'm making the trip home on the train. It is not my first time doing this, but last time I did this, I was a little nervous because it was my first time. I like to think that I am an observant person, but really I just love to people watch. This time around, I've taken more time to look around me and notice all the people coming in and out the the station.
One thing that first caught my attention was a father with his two daughters. They looked like twins, and shared the same adorable outfits. They smiled and laughed as they played. on the railing surrounding the arrival time board near the service desk. The father took pictures of them as they laughed about their fun. It amazed me how they were enjoying their small world in a bigger world around them. It made me happy to see them so oblivious to the world around them.
Another thing I noticed was an older woman sitting at the table next to me. She probably sat there for about an hour by herself just playing solitaire on her phone. I thought it was great to see someone take such interest in the simple pleasures of life like being able to spend time with yourself just doing something to pass the time. It is not too often we get to just relax like that, uninterrupted.
The third person I noticed was the transit police officer on duty. A woman was walking into the station and had dropped her ticket. She was clearly in a hurry as she was sprinting towards to the boarding platforms. The police officer grabbed the ticket and ran after her. As the officer on duty, he really didn't have to go out of his way because the woman would have eventually realized she misplaced the ticket, but it was a nice gesture that he took the time to save her a fit of panic. I thought it was so nice to see this act of kindness in such a busy place where people mostly mind their own business.
The last people I saw were these two men who claimed solitaire lady's table after she left. They were dating I assume, because the way they looked at each other lovingly suggested so. They sat next to each other instead of across from each other, and locked stares until they left to board their train. It is so beautiful to see love flourish in our world.
Perhaps people watching is more than just a time passing activity, but rather it allows us to become more connected with the world around us. It is interesting to stop and think about how each person you meet or even see has a life of their own that they are living, and how we all aren't as disconnnected as we think we are.
