Watching People

   It’s not easy coming up with stuff to write about every week, that’s why on rare occasion I take a break.   I feel I owe the people, that take time out their busy day to read this gibberish, at least something that the can take away that will make their day a little brighter.   
   Most of us would admit to being “people watchers” but I like to take it to a whole new level.  My wife doesn’t actually play along, and much to her dismay, most of the time she is a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
   Not only do I watch people but within less than a minute I have figured out their entire life that has lead up to that moment in time.  The other day while getting gas at the Sam’s Club, after securing a small loan from the bank, I noticed this guy walking towards me.  He was carrying a shopping bag from Wal Mart, dressed casually in jeans sweat shirt baseball cap and sunglasses.  At first glance very normal, but as I continued to watch him I started to notice that maybe he wasn’t all that Normal.
   I realize that everyone’s definition of normal is a little different, but it basically is what most people consider average, so it is an average of the perceived average.  I am fortunate to live in Council Bluffs as it affords me an opportunity to witness a lot of non- average people.   Now just because someone is walking down the street seemingly talking, and sometimes yelling at no one in particular doesn’t mean he’s wacko, I have learned to make sure they don’t have one of those Android devices crammed in their ear talking to someone on their phone.
   This particular guy did not have a blue tooth device, at least on the outside of his head, but he was definitely having a conversation with someone.  As he got closer I could make out a few rants he was laying down, something about “Being right!”  He was very emphatic as to the point that what he did was right!  As he walked down the street towards a busy intersection I observed him reaching out and touching everything he walked by, not only touching it but circling it a few times before moving on, reminded me of my dog Polly on our walks looking for the best place to mark her territory, luckily this was not his intent.
   I thought about calling the police but I did not think that this actually fell into the “Emergency” category, he was not threatening anyone, and he was not in any danger of being run over, he was just engaged in a conversation with himself while walking in circles around all of the light poles and boulders lining the street.  I followed at a safe distance from my car to make sure that he did not wander into any hazardous situations and……. because I found him amusing.  

   I deduced that he worked at Wal Mart as a “Transportation Specialist” a job that left him slightly jaded after he learned that he was in charge of collecting the shopping carts and corralling them back into the store.  He didn’t exactly know what a “Transportation Specialist” did………. but he sure as hell didn’t think it would involve risking his life every thirty minutes as he maneuvers a twenty foot long train of shopping carts, through a very busy parking lot, full of desperate shoppers trying to get that perfect parking spot.
   As he made his way across the busy street, safely following with the lights he entered a house I can only assume was his.  Of course he was greeted by his elderly mother whom he secretly loathed, but showed  respect, as this insured his continued residency in her home.  Of course his room downstairs was not much to brag about, but he did get free cable.