Observaton Post

One of the things I miss about school besides the library, is my observation time.
While the majority of my classes were taken with peers, often the odd class that was needed to fulfill a requirement introduced me into a classroom where the other students were strangers. The classes were located in parts of the university where I had never had chance to explore.
I took this opportunity to unwind and recharge; the competitive atmosphere of art class can a toll. This usually meant sitting around thinking, and more important, observing.
I consider myself an observant person. Not gifted, not like Sherlock Holmes or anything, but I possess a fairly keen eye for details.
The majority of these observed minutia are not very important.
The dent on that car door is in an odd location. The woman coming out of the supermarket with what appears to be her husband(I can see her ring) doesn't look too happy. That guy picking up recyclables out of the rubbish is wearing a nice watch.
Most of us go about our lives with open eyes, but what are you seeing?
I look for things that are out of place or inconsistent.
Wait. I don't look for those things; those are the kind of things that pop out at me.
It must be an art thing. Trained to see and all that.
It also helps that I'm always looking for things to write about.
For you, the reader, don't ya know.
Everything has a story behind it.
Most people I think, get used to seeing. Seeing the same things I mean. We start to anesthetize ourselves to what's going on around us; filter out the unimportant if you will.
I'm not saying that's bad. If we took the time to notice everything, nothing would get done!
The problem is the filter is always on.
So, during the time I have to sit around and do nothing, I try to turn the filter off and take a keen look at what is going on around me.
My intention is not to snoop or invade.
The intention is to integrate myself into my environment and not to be such an isolationist.
While yes, the world does revolve around me, I also realize that I am but a micro organism when looking at the big picture and as a micro organism, I have to be aware of what is going on around me. See how I turned that around?
Okay, I sort of forgot where I was going with all this.
Oh yes, observations.
We are given the gift of sight, but what are we looking at?
Take the time and get a good look.
You might be surprised at what you see.