When I was little my family had a pretty set Sunday routine: church, then lunch at Chili’s followed by sitting inside our parked car “people watching” at the Arboretum shopping center near our house.
Because they did not open until 2 p.m., my dad’s favorite place to people watch was the parking lot across from the athletic store where my much older sister and I bought our soccer gear.
By going there directly after lunch my parents could let their food settle while they had a great time laughing as week after week, they watched people bounce off the store’s locked front door.
Without fail we were guaranteed to see people shake the door, maybe even pound their fists against it. Always, people would put a hand across their forehead and peer inside or stare at the posted store hours in complete disbelief.
As an adult, I pay attention to what is going on around me but to this day I have to say that sitting around parking lots spying on people unawares is not my idea of a good time — though it is my husband’s.
His idea for a picnic is the Walmart parking lot. After all, he says it comes with free entertainment.
Most weekend mornings my husband likes to take me for coffee and a biscuit before dragging me to a parking lot somewhere to people watch and I do have to admit it is amusing.
One thing I have learned from all these years of watching people is that all of us, yes, every single one of us, is strange.
Something I have seen change over the years is the lack of kindness we show to one another.
If you pay attention, you will notice many couples leave one behind. Gone are the days of men opening the car door for their lady love and waiting patiently as she exits the vehicle — guys, you’re lucky if you can find her again once you get inside the store.
Women seem to be the worst for leaving their man behind, though this is not always the case, and elderly couples are more inpatient with each other than younger ones.
One Saturday, after a bad morning in the Monica house, you know the kind where everyone and everything is crappy and the cereal box is empty, ect., my husband pulled into one of his favorite spying spots.
As we sat there feeling down on humanity, we watched a young man approaching the door of a nearby store as an elderly lady lumbered along behind him.
My husband was certain he would not wait to hold the door open; I was certain that he might.
He did! That young man really stood in the cold and waited for the woman to reach the door and then held it open for her!
Not long after a young girl came along and did the exact same thing for a different customer coming in behind her.
Seeing these two small acts of kindness changed our attitude and outlook on the day.
Because you never know who may be watching you it is always a good idea to be kind — and to not pick your nose, just saying.
Remember, the next time you’re at the Walmart and you feel that prickling sense of being watched — you probably are — maybe even by us!