natural observation
... a decision. They proceeded to head out to a bench by the water to enjoy the ice cream cones that they had with them. After observing them for a few minutes they decided to change their location by moving to a more remote spot. Seconds later, three college-aged girls walked by me with papers and a camera in one of their hands. They stopped under a shaded tree momentarily to pose for a picture, and then they left to continue their work or whatever it was. I noticed that one girl was always in the middle of the other two; maybe she was the mediator and best friend of each one. Half way through all of this I watched a muscle built woman bicyclist prepare for her mid-day ride. She diligently checked her tires, brake pressure, and gears before deciding to start. It looked as if bicycling was her life’s passion because she was in such good shape with her legs consisting of chiseled muscle and the complete riding outfit that she wore. Then two guys emerged from their car ready for a good run. They were complete opposites in appearance; one was short and skinny whereas the other was tall and chunky. Yet they were friends, discussing the struggles of life over a long stress-relieving jog. The much shorter man seemed to be doing all of the talking, while the other listened and added to it. Into the distance they disappeared picking up the pace as their progression advanced. I next watched those people who had been around before I had arrived. My eyes and ears lead me to a mother playing with her child on the grass. Both were having a wonderful day, laughing and smiling the whole time. She would stand her child up on her palms and also gently bumped it in the air to catch. Later when the child was no longer amused with this playfulness the mother picked it up and swooped it through the air pretending as if it were flying. From all of this noise I noticed an older woman who was sleeping under a tree get up and leave the park. I suppose she was discouraged from the laughter and felt it was time to go home to sleep. She must have been there for a long time because when she arose I could see the imprint of her body shape on the grass. Not only was there a tremendous amount of sweat on her back, I could also see that she was badly sun burnt. With a paper bag in hand she marched to her car and quickly drove off. Throughout the thirty minutes I saw a handful of older gentlemen trying to get back in shape by jogging. I could tell that they were beginning runners by their stance and the sound of exhaustion they made while running. They were all wearing their street clothes, except for mangled old running shoes. This must have been extremely uncomfortable for them; I sure wouldn’t go on a jog wearing an itchy collared shit. It is a beneficial thing to get back into shape in my opinion, even if you have to kill yourself with exhaustion to do so. It’s a funny thing to see someone getting out in public to enjoy the fresh air when they are smoking a cigarette. That is what I focused on next. I observed an elderly aged woman reading a book, all the while smoking cigarettes as if they were delicious candy. What a way to spend a nice day, why not smoke when you get home? Perhaps this was a regular ritual for her because she brought along a blue pad to lie on. While in the park I saw and heard all sorts of humorous things. Foremost I watched a women almost crash on her bike because of the two dogs she was walking alongside her. From the second I focused on her I knew that she was unsure of the situation from the caution in her eyes. Both dogs were almost smiling as they tugged her past me. Second I observed a guy and girl walking together along the grass. I could tell that they were into each other from their body language, yet there was no holding of hands taking place. It was as if bo...