120 ( a long “babbling thought”)
People Watching, 10APR
One of the phrases my Mom always uses is that she “loves people watching”. Yes, before there were smartphones and noses buried in online posts, there was “people watching”… sitting at the mall, sitting at the doctor’s office, waiting in a restaurant, and yes, sitting in church….
Yes, I people watch… all the time… it’s my upbringing – I was told to watch people and react to them and take heed of how I effect them… These experiences even made me think of a potential career, being a psychologist… I always wanted to know: “what makes people the way they are?” “What makes the brain tink?” Yes, people make me think…

Another passion/hobby of mine (that could have been a career) is weather watching… a big thunderstorm is rolling in right now, while I write this… big cracks of lightning excite me, but would make others cowl… if nothing else in life I have learned to go with the flow and accept things… live the serenity prayer, or at least try to… Lightning, that you cannot change… you have to change your attitude towards it… “crappy weather” or “wow, exciting lightning! Our first spring storm!!! Spring is here!!”…. Yeah, it’s all in the attitude… Some folks are so strong and confident but wow, in a thunderstorm? WOW – a different person…scared to death! But me?…well, I would sit on the outside porch in college and watch the ball lightening roll in… yeah – I am that kind of person – watch and feel the awesome lightening from just a safe enough distance… It’s all in the attitude… like riding a rollercoaster… live is living for the thrill of it all…

Weather watching, People watching… yup, take a step back and watch and listen… you will learn volumes about life.

I recently revisited/relistened to the four sermons that made a big impact on me while growing through this burst of spiritual growth… they were on CD and about a year old when I heard them the first time… but talk about timing… no wonder they gave me food for thought, they were meaty and to the point and since my ears were opening, I really heard them…

The one sermon that talks about identifying yourself as a Christian, the sermonist (now a friend too) states: “once you identify yourself as a Christian, people will watch you”… YUP! That goes both ways – you watch people – and they watch you…

I have learned so much about people and about myself – good people and bad people – even good people who do bad and vice versa… What makes them tink? So, YES – I watch and YES, I have felt an amplification of people watching ME in my Christian role… And yet, this is not new, I always did have people watching me – I have been in leadership roles at the church and at work and in the community for years and years… Over fifteen years ago now, after I finished my degree, I became a member and then later secretary and president of my local service organization. This was and is my FATHER’S club, and after much strife with previous acceptance of women into this club, I seemed to have no problem becoming the first woman secretary and then the first woman president. See, I learned more about how to be a leader from WATCHING the leaders as well as from watching the followers… and they learned from watching me – they knew what kind of person I was – they appreciated my organizational skills and accepted my leadership and my leadership style… (see, I grew up in THAT club – it gave me about fifty extra doting uncles – to add to my nine blood family uncles)… I had NO problem slipping into a leadership role since I knew that my followers were also my leaders… I knew when to lead, and when to follow, and when I could pick on people, and when I could get other people to pick on others in fun… I really enjoyed that amplification of confidence/ego, and I appreciated all their support… I left the club when I moved away but I took them with me in spirit.

People always watched me, I know, and just like I wait on people to talk to, they wait on me too… to talk to me after church services, before and after church meetings… These are people who want to share something exciting or concerning… I need to take time for these people, because I am one of them too…. I too look for people I need to catch up with, and I go up to talk to people who finish lectures (just recently at a big event I connected with the presenters and email them regularly now), I like many go both to thank them and to connect with them on a more personal level…

It is great when people do this in all aspects of life… An example for myself was at a scientific meeting, I finished a 45 minute seminar presentation to about 300 fellow scientists then afterwards, I essentially “held court” like many speakers for at least another sixty minutes … a few people want to pick your brain for their science issues, a few want to say how excited they are that you have identified the same questions in your research as they have, and a few just want to hang out and listen to the answers you give others… it is really the best part of the presentation….the rehashing… you may have touched the thoughts of the hundreds in the seminar, but these people – you have really reached and they are SO MOTIVATED to reach back for more….

And now, I notice a new amplified volume of watching… in my new Christian role… having identified myself as 100% with Jesus. I notice that I catch more people’s direct eye contact now that I have stepped out in a big way… I am putting myself out there – slowly… I know it is still in easy, safe, incremental steps, but still I am getting out there – more and more people are watching… some watching in smiles, some watching in concern, some watching to see, God-forbid, if I fall… People watching… watch them watch you!