study

“Where we think, they feel” - Anthony Quinn, A Walk in the Clouds

He is describing how men think their way through life and women feel their way. Yes it is a generalized and sweeping statement but, not entirely off the mark. I think. A lot. About a plethora of topics, but those thoughts create feelings. Very strong feelings. This is not untrue for men either. I don't even think it is necessarily a gender issue. It is more of a personality issue. I study people, how they talk, what they say, body language, how other people respond to them. I so often would spend an evening in the youth room with Brad and afterwards, I would tell him all that was going on relationally with the youth just from watching them. I didn’t even have to talk to them. He often would not believe me, then a few months later it would all come out and I’d have to bite my tongue to stop from saying “ I told you so” 

I have been studying people for the last 20 years or so. In my youth I was too concerned with myself that I was blind to other people and how they interacted. School was all about studying books and I was not into that at the time either. As I grew up I realized that I noticed people and tried to figure them out. I think it was because of life experience that this changed for me. Have enough people break trust with you and you start to watch them first. People will show you themselves long before you talk to them. It is so interesting how hurts, experiences can shape us, can actually benefit us.