People-watchin'

Well, New York's the best place in the world for that, I tell ya'. Jammed up against a bunch of perfect strangers (perfect? sez who?) on the subway, dog-walking with the Central Park hordes (that's right - I said "hordes"), or waiting for the bagel guy to schmear my little cinnamon-raisin delight - people-watching takes on a whole new meaning in Manhattan.

And though everybody says to never look anyone square in the eye here (What'll they do? Knife me?), I still like to play my little "Hmm-Wonder-Which-Person" game as I check 'em out surreptitiously.

Hmm. Wonder which person . . .

• is keeping a really fantastically happy secret?
• is keeping a devastatingly painful secret?
• has the most money in her/his pocket? (Not that I'm casing them or anything. Just wondering, that's all.)
• is cheating on her/his husband/wife?
• has the most children?
• changed someone's life for the better today?
• has considered suicide?
• knows the best place to get soul food in this town?
• is in the middle of a great book? (And what's the book?)
• knows the most famous people?
• could be my new best friend if we had the chance to get to know each other?
• I'd most want to slap if I really got the chance to know her/him?
• has been to the most exotic place (in my opinion, of course)?

Well, you get the drift.

Another thing I do is wonder about people's stories. Say each person is given three minutes to choose one story from their life - funny, sad, sweet, ordinary - that sort of sums up who they are - what's the story?

What would your story be?