I'm Watching You

Halloween is here, and I'm watching you. Yes, it's what I do--watch people; observe situations; listen to what's happening around me. I always have, and I imagine (and hope) I will continue to do so. They say it's the quiet ones you have to look out for. I'm here to tell you that it's true.

I don't talk much, and people often think that means I'm not involved in what's going on around me, I'm not paying attention. But my ears are always open, and so are my eyes. I pick up on little things. I often know when two people are romantically interested in each other before it's public knowledge. I can usually tell when someone is annoyed by another person or dislikes them, just by observing their body language and tone of voice. I pay attention to these things, and then I use them in my writing. Not specific people, of course, just characteristics and mannerisms.

I also find that people tend to speak freely around me. Maybe they forget I'm there, or maybe they just don't see me as a threat because I "don't talk." And they're right, in a way. I won't typically talk about things that I overhear. I don't like gossip, and I try hard to avoid it." My favorite example of this is an art class I was in during my tenth grade year of high school. I was placed at a table with three upperclassmen, known for partying and doing drugs, etc. I knew about every party that happened. I just sat there quietly, working on my projects, and amused myself by listening unobtrusively to every thing that they talked about. They certainly weren't bothering to hide it from me. I knew about it the day there were rumors of random backpack searches and one of them hid her pot stash in a plant in the back of the art room.

I often wonder if I should have told someone about all of these things that I overheard in that class. But the truth is I don't think it ever really hit me that they actually did have parties with drinking and drugs. That whole culture was completely foreign to me. (I was a nerd, remember?) Sure, I heard them talking about it, but I never thought it was a reality, for some reason. I suppose regardless of my thinking back then, it's too late to do anything about it now, anyway.

Besides, talking about what I hear would break the "Quiet Person Code." If that happens, I would lose my cover. People would stop talking freely around me. And that would make my life so much more boring. I love observing people, learning about them--why they act a certain way, how they handle different situations, etc. It's fun.

And, of course, it lends itself to a great supply of fodder for my creative soul.