I confess......I like people watching!

I like my privacy. I don't like people being able to see in to my home but, perversely, I like looking in to other people's homes. I suppose it's because I am a nosy parker!

I like to see how their rooms are decorated, and the colours they use, so I get ideas for our house. I could get the same from reading house magazines though, I suppose? To stop people being able to look in to our house we have net curtains at the front, and blinds at the back, but not everyone seems to bother with them. I even make sure that, once the lights are put on because the night is drawing in, we close the top curtains. It's my security blanket for my home and everything in it, and makes me feel safe. We live on a main road so I am aware people could walk by and look in to our house if the lights are on. So why do I deny I do this to anyone else? It's not really the 'done thing' and it's like my guilty secret (that I've just declared here!!). The only thing I can say is once I've mentioned that I do it, you'd be amazed how may other people fess up that they do too. 

I like people watching too, in real life and in reality tv programmes like Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Watching how people interact and what they do in certain situations is fascinating. When Neil and I go out for dinner, I covertly watch people. You can learn a lot by watching what people do, and how they act. The definition of people watching is "the act of observing people and their interactions, usually without their knowledge. It involves picking up on idiosyncrasies to try to guess at another person's story. This includes speech in action, relationship interactions, body language, expressions, clothing and activities."

Well I hold my hands up. I do it, and not just when I am bored! I don't do what some people do and weave a story around the people I am looking at, neither do I watch to learn anything. Not that I am aware of, anyway. I don't think I even realise why I watch people, I just know I find it satisfying and interesting. Sometimes a person catches my eye because of what they are wearing. I'm pretty conservative in my clothing though I am getting better at adding colour as I get older. I have a lime green cardigan and a cerise pink winter jacket, both of which people say suits me. After all a bit of colour can lift the mood and brighten the day. It certainly works for me. To be honest fashion is all in the eye of the wearer, unlike when I was a teenager growing up. You can honestly wear anything, in any way you like, and no one will comment. There are two ladies who come in to my work and they wear forties style clothes. I just think how fabulous they are, and how great they look. Another lady comes in and she has the most amazing stand up punk hairstyle you could imagine. It's all spiky, each spike being at least six to eight inches long and I have no idea how she manages to get them to stay like that. While I would never ever wear my hair like that I do think how fabulous and she must know people stare at her. Maybe that's why she does it? Maybe she doesn't care? I just like the fact she isn't afraid to stand out and be different. I would love to have my hair all sorts of colours but sadly it isn't appropriate for my work...….but one day, one day!

I also watch how people move and carry themselves, how they talk and articulate. I move my hands and arms about quite a bit when I talk. I've been told I am 'animated' and 'passionate' in my speech and body language. On the other hand my father has told me I should watch how much I wave my arms around, after all I have been known to knock a glass of water out of the hand of someone close to me once or twice. It's quite easy to see if someone is happy but sometimes you can tell a person is angry or is having a silent pubic disagreement. That amuses me as I've been annoyed with Neil before when we have been out, but haven't wanted to show it to the people around me. I didn't realise how easily you can tell if a person is angry because of the body language, and how they hold themselves really stiff.  If you know what to look for you can tell exactly how someone is feeling at that time. People who are anxious tend to fidget, shrug their shoulders, and dart their head from side to side. They may tug at their purse or briefcase, or hold it in front of their bodies as a symbol that they want to protect themselves from harm. Stress may lead people to show similar signs, but it in addition makes them appear as if they’re carrying the world’s problems on their backs, and their shoulders will sag accordingly. Their preoccupation may also carry over into their tendency to scrutinize their phones rather than what's going on around them." It's all very interesting. Try it next time you go out, if you don't already do it. Just don't stare too hard or people will feel uncomfortable!