One of the things I love, as we go through life, is the way our lives intersect with strangers'. I was once again thinking about this idea this morning, as I pulled out of the driveway and paused to make sure that Girl-who's-probably-around-eight-and-walks-with-her-mom-and-dog-before-school was stopping her scooter before it crossed paths with our car. And as Mom-who-walks-dog-with-daughter-before-work-and-carries-an-empty-plastic-shopping-bag waved to us as we passed her on the street. We've never chatted with one another, but I'd say we've come to expect that many, if not most, weekday mornings, we expect to see the other.
As I sat in the car in front of MrMan's daycare, while Sam delivered the boy to his classroom, I thought about running family, whose path we also often cross in the mornings. She has dark hair, worn in pigtails, and always runs in a skirt (an idea I love!), usually a magenta one, often paired with an orange tank top. She pushes a blue double jog stroller. Some mornings she and two kids are accompanied by a man, presumably her husband/their father. But she is always the one pushing the stroller. And much to my delight, once Sam returned to the car and we continued our trip to work, as we reached the intersection, I spied running family. Unlike Mom-who-walks-dog-with-daughter-before-work-and-carries-an-empty-plastic-shopping-bag and Girl-who's-probably-around-eight-and-walks-with-her-mom-and-dog-before-school, they don't expect to see me. I am just one of many anonymous drivers along their run.
I wonder who I am, if anybody, to strangers. Am I short-brown-woman-who-is-always-wearing-her-ipod? Am I downtown-worker-who-drives-downtown-with-her-husband-who-always-opens-the-lobby-door-for-her? Am I somebody else?
In Honolulu, I'm sure that, to some, I was woman-who-walks-home-from-work-while-reading-a-book. Did they notice when I became pregnant-woman-who-walks-home-from-work-while-reading-a-book? Kind of like when I noticed when orange-backpack-man, whom we would pass on our way to work, got new shoes? And wondered where he was from, whether he played soccer, and what he did once he reached downtown?
Whose life does yours intersect with?
Posted by Shokufeh at October 3, 2007 11:33 AMThe Metro is good for this kind of thing. I have Andy and Nathan and their two dads. First, it was just Andy and the dads, then a long time when I didn't see them, then there they were with little brother Nathan! Just recently, we're down to Nathan and one dad. I think Andy must've started kindergarten and no long goes to daycare in DC.
Posted by: Julia at October 3, 2007 03:39 PMI love this concept! I have man-who-is-at-bus-stop-with-iPod and gym-going-man-with-gargantuan-coffee.
Posted by: natalie at October 3, 2007 08:21 PMThe 4 little girls who play outside the apartment building and always say hello. The 3 different taxi drivers that always take us to work, we don't know their names but they're quite nice. The old woman and her daughter that lean on the fence by our apt building and look out over the city for hours at a time.
:-)
Posted by: Sholeh at October 4, 2007 04:41 AMI think about this all the time! I love riding the bus with Head-Scarf-Lady and bumping into Arab-Framer-Guy on the street. They probably know me as Pregnant-American-Lady.
What's really crazy is that every time we go to the mall (which isn't that often, but anyway) we bump into someone who rides our bus.
Posted by: +mojan. at October 4, 2007 08:13 AMIt is interesting thinking about people. Since I have been home, I have become the woman-in-the- upstairs-window-who-notices-things-about- neighbors. I am also the pregnant-chic-who-walks-little-blonde-toddler-to-mail-box once or twice a day.
Posted by: FFG at October 4, 2007 09:49 AMIt is interesting thinking about people. Since I have been home, I have become the woman-in-the- upstairs-window-who-notices-things-about- neighbors. I am also the pregnant-chic-who-walks-little-blonde-toddler-to-mail-box once or twice a day.
Posted by: FFG at October 4, 2007 09:49 AMIt is interesting thinking about people. Since I have been home, I have become the woman-in-the- upstairs-window-who-notices-things-about- neighbors. I am also the pregnant-chic-who-walks-little-blonde-toddler-to-mail-box once or twice a day.
Posted by: FFG at October 4, 2007 09:49 AMI see hot-lesbian-who-walks-her-tiny-dog and sometimes her girlfriend in my neighborhood. I like to think on of the ladies is my lesbian cousin who I have not met who also lives in my neighborhood.
There's also skinny-prolly-vegan-guy who lives in my building who I also see at the organic market.
And I've seen Andy and Nathan on the metro! How cool is that!!!
Posted by: Emmaleigh at October 4, 2007 12:15 PMGreat post! I used to exchange waves every morning with nursing-home-resident-guy-who-sits-on-the-porch, but so sad, I haven't seen him in months. I also always run into big-haired-mom-with-toddler-girl-in-umbrella-stroller, formerly shorter-but-still-big-haired-mom-with-infant-in-a-sling.
Posted by: Arin at October 5, 2007 02:19 PMI love this! I think about this stuff too. The stranger who stands out the most for me is guy-who-wears-ultra-flashy-tailored-suits who I see every afternoon - he's heading to the city bus stop as I am on my way to my son's school bus stop. Seriously though, his suits are intense! He's a middle aged white man wearing business suits, only the suits are bright red, or pink, or orange or vivid plaids. And he seems to have an endless supply of them. I really ought to photograph him one of these days, but I don't want to spoil the magic somehow.
Posted by: Sharyn at October 8, 2007 06:07 PM