I am an inquisitive person naturally but I can't actually say when it became this "bad", this hyper vigilant habit of mine. As a little girl, I remember my Grandma would say to me, "You go through everyday seeing everything", and I tell you it didn't come as a compliment, no no!.
I don't know if it has anything to do with my introvertedness, but I know that I tend to listen and watch, I don't talk much. Truly as a little girl, I was the one who discerned what people were up to by their actions, it became an inbuilt mechanism erected as a result of my curious nature. Movements or body languages don't lie, so sitting outside my Grandma's Hut, I just didn't like the ways of "Utubu" and "Titi", their way of always entering the nearby bush on each other's heel, after every Sunset. Passing by the hut every evening, I just knew they were up to no good. A few months later, Titi, the fourteen year old was put in the family way. Utubu, the fifteen year old was responsible.
For Umeadi the thief, I instinctively knew when he was stalking a neighbour's chicken or goat. Then the never-ending saga of Omonedo and Oniime, the very odd couple whose love for each other was in their frequent fights and quarrels, I knew when it was time for a major showdown.
I don't know if being an observer was a skill I honed as a result of having lived in a rural community but I achieved a high level proficiency in that and remains thankful that I've been able to save a situation or two by so doing.
I love watching my environment and that translates to also watching people. Scrutinizing people, looking for clues as to who they really are, underneath the skin. Their status maritally, literacy level, employed or not, quality of life, kids or no, occupation and so much more, I am able to reflect a lot about people by watching their simple gestures. Just by watching their actions, paying closer attention to details, I try to discern what could be the truth behind their actions. Their physical expressions could be key indicators to the kind of situation each is going through.
I get first hand information, I'm able to deduce one or two about a particular person or a group of persons as they pass by. And believe it or not, it is a pleasurable pastime for me, deductible actions by just watching people
Whether they are in motion or stationary , a lot of human emotions are exposed; confidence, defeat, loss, happiness, sadness, you can spot them by just watching people around you.
A mismatched couple.
A happy family, children, couple.
Unemployed.
Abused.
I went visiting my parents one holiday, I noticed a cousin always going into the barn in the mornings to sweep, that was no issue at all, the issue was the way he looked around him before entering the barn. It just signaled to me that there was some suspicious activity going on. I kept vigil from my Mom's window and on the third day as soon as he left for an errand, I entered the barn, ransacked everywhere, then I saw it, right inside a stack of old newspapers, were wads of currency, quite a lot tucked away in-between their pages.
Yet my parents had sacked three househelps, never suspecting my cousin, for their missing money.
My Mom nicknamed me "Observer" after that incident and many more that happened.
"Oh I just knew it". I saw the guy walk in through the gate, his eyes darting about in a manner I have come to be so familiar with, ". When I asked him who he wanted to see, he mumbled that he was looking for " A Mr So So", I wasn't comfortable so I went back into the house and secured my doors properly before going out. By the time I came back later, three footwears left to dry under the sun were all gone. I was new in that neighbourhood at that time and they confirmed that they had recorded incidents like that in the past, so they hunted him down and recovered the footwears. I knew he was trouble just by the body language, I was the "Observer" after all.
A child pacing around with a worried look might have lost some money given to him to run errands with, might have had a very poor report card if it was the end of term or could be evading punishment from home for having done something bad. Then again, he could be an object of abuse. I have watched them all and had tried to help as much as I possibly could, when necessary. Of course everything has to be done in discretion so one doesn't get into trouble.
I have learnt that someone who is garrulous, shifty or puts on a false front should be approached with caution.
I watch from everywhere, parking lots, marketplace, cafe or sitting in a park, my neighbourhood, in the church, anywhere I find people,
Though I do less now but old habits die hard, some of my friends think I might have missed my true calling and that I should have become a psychologist or a "CID", but for me, it's all for the fun of it, a source of entertainment. You can know quite a lot about someone, and then you can also learn that everyone is unique. It's like I have a huge mirror on the wall and having to learn that everyone has a story.
All photos are mine.
This is in response to 
I am 
