People Watching

I like to watch people. Not in the creepy way. I like to figure people out. When I see people, sometimes I can't help but ask myself what on earth could make them do the things they do.

This is actually a fantastic mental exercise. Can you figure out why that person in the grocery store is buying bargain bin dinner rolls and a porterhouse steak? Why did the person in the bank wait for 5 minutes in line, then nonchalantly leave the line, exit the bank, and never return? Why did that jerk in the bright red sports car cut you off and run a red light?

In all honesty, these are questions we may never find the answers to. However, that can't stop us from guessing. The person in the grocery store might be making bread pudding, which is better with day-old bread. Maybe she's getting cheap rolls to spite her husband, who made such a big deal about getting a porterhouse steak. The person in the bank could simply have realized that she forgot to bring her checks and left to go get them. Maybe she was sick with food poisoning and felt an attack coming on, but wanted to be discreet. The jerk in the sports car maybe just found out that his wife is in the hospital giving birth to their first child. Maybe he's just a jerk and doesn't give a damn about anything but himself.

Any scene you see could have an infinite number of reasons for its cause. Unless we do some serious detective work, we'll never know for sure. However, figuring out what might explain it, what gives an answer, even if it makes some assumptions, that will help you become a better thinker. And a good thinker is a good writer.