Have you ever sat and watched the world go by? You can imagine some very interesting things about people, just by observing them. Its amazing that by noticing someone, you can form not only a brief opinion about that person, but if you thought about it you can give them a history, a future, problems and different relationships, all in your imagination.

I sit at this park bench everyday and just observe the world. You get to see a lot of different people, all of who have names, personalities, dreams etc, but I get to give them my own perspective.

For instance, here comes old Mrs Jones. Now I do not know that her name is Mrs Jones, but to me she looks like a Mrs Jones. Fairly plain, stocky woman, who always pushes her walking trolley up this path the same time every day on her way, I imagine, to the milk bar for her daily paper and chat with the shop keeper. She wears pastel coloured clothes with large prints of mismatched flowers that hang off her ample frame and sways in the breeze as she walks, ever so slowly. The age lines of her face are mostly laugh lines, although she very rarely looks happy. She wears what appears to be her wedding ring on a chain around her neck, although she has not been wearing it there long as the line of the band is still embedded on her left hand ring finger. It looks like it has been a hard adjustment for her to deal with the loss of her husband. Her pace has become slower in the last few months, I believe she is slowing down for her final departure.

You may think if quite anti-social of me to sit here and view the world and all its inhabitants without actually trying to talk to them and find out what the true story of their lives are. However why would I want to do that when it is much more entertaining to wonder and create different lives for all these people?

Here come the Runner brothers, Mark, Anthony and Rick. They aren�t actually brothers, since they look nothing alike, but they always run together at the same time everyday of the week, so I have named them the Runner brothers. They seem to be fairly close acquaintances, they constantly talk as they run, although I usually only catch little bits as they jog by. Even though they seem like they are close, they are, at the same time I suspect, extremely competitive. They have recently started to train for a marathon that is going to be happening in town in a few months, I heard Mark mention the name. So Rick bought a new pair of joggers for the event, then the next time they were out Anthony had a better pair. Mark then bought a sports watch that tells you how far you have run and it escalated from there. Each one trying to better the other. Running shorts, jogging shirts, water bottles, watches, and techniques. The marathon is next week; I hope they can make it without killing each other or declare bankruptcy, whichever comes first. They are always so exhausted when they finish, because they come out here to do a few light laps and stay until one of them collapses. Life is a game boys, you can�t take it too seriously.

Over by the lake I see one of my favourite visions. Mother and child. Nothing warms the heart like this picture. Mum is on the grass with the little bubba, who looks like he has just started to walk. Its her first baby, you can always tell, she is a little more nervous and protective than second or third time mums, she doesn�t want her little bundle of joy to fall over and hurt himself. And her smile, that�s what always gets me. Not saying that second or third time mums don�t have that smile but this smile is new and fresh, everything to her is exciting and scary at once. She doesn�t want to make a mistake. She has all these ideals of what a good mother should be, but at the same time she knows she can�t be perfect and won�t necessarily stick to all her ideals.

Everyone in the world starts out basically the same. The stages of a baby are pretty much the same all over the world. They need to be fed, changed and loved. Their teeth come in and fall out, they learn to walk and talk around the same age. It�s only when the outside world penetrates that we become the different personalities people see. Our personalities are inbred, but we need the world to awaken who we are. Ideals are often or can be the same, we all want to be comfortable and happy essentially, it just differs from person to person what makes us happy. I believe we are fated to become whatever is planned for us.

However, thinking this it�s hard to sit here and watch those less privileged than you are. You don�t want to imagine terrible things happening to anyone, but you can�t help but imagine that something dreadful must have happened to lead them to this point in their lives. There is a man I see when walking through the city sometimes, he is dirty, his hair matted and black from the filth that has collected on his person for years. He was someone�s child, he was born into the world the same as you and me, how did he get to this point of having to live on the streets? I imagine him being abandoned, going from foster home to foster home, and not getting any real chance in life. Just think that if someone had given him the time of day that man could have cured Cancer, created the world�s first flying car, or lead the way to solving third world hunger, the possibilities are endless. But instead he is here, going nowhere.

I am not to any extent wealthy. I don�t owe a big house, I never have. I do not drive a car and have been out of the working world for about 10 years and have been on my own for about 5. I am not extraordinary, I blend in with the status quo. Others however have found a very creative outlet in their clothing and make all others around them stop and stare. A couple of kids walking past now most would describe as weird, or freaks. Some may consider them attention seekers while others would consider them as troubled souls. I see them as kids, who are trying to find out who they really are and are trying to be individuals in the truest sense of the word. One is a Gothic figure (I get that word from my granddaughter), black dishevelled hair, and black vinyl pants, big boots with metal plates in the toes and a long black worn looking coat. He has several earrings up and down his right ear, while on his left he bears a single cross made of copper. He is wearing white makeup and has drawn thick black eyeliner under his baggy, dissatisfied eyes. I understand the wanting to stand out mentality, look at me world I do exist, while trying to find their true selves. The girl walking with him, or should I say almost skipping beside him as he strides along (he dwarfs her), is a classic �hippie chick� (I got that phrase from my daughter years ago). Floral dress with long flowing sleeves and a large yellow flower in her red tinged, long, un-brushed hair. She has no make up on that I can tell, and she has a tattoo of a butterfly on her ankle. He is walking as if weighed down with the ignorant thoughts of the world. She is almost floating by her sandalled feet and toe ring. As they walk by I hear them mention the names Jung and Freud psychology students, they usually march to their own unique beat.

Have you ever noticed that when you are involved in something, that thing is suddenly everywhere you look? You can�t escape it. For example when I decided my first car had to be a HG Holden, they were everywhere, that�s all I could see, but when I bought one, they suddenly disappeared. Well today there are couples everywhere. I am noticing them since my youngest son has started seeing this new girl, he talks about her constantly and that�s all he seems to be focusing on at the moment. I love to study couples they are fascinating. You can tell how long a couple have been together on sight. The couple coming along now, they have been together I would say about a month. How can I tell you ask? Well they are so innocent, holding hands, walking close to each other, smiling, bright eyed and they aren�t saying much. They are still at the stage of not showing their true selves. Its perfect and that�s the image they portray to the world. Nothing could touch them and they believe they will live happily ever after. Of course she doesn�t know his father is a domineering controller who doesn�t like Catholics (she is wearing a gold cross around her neck) and believes a woman�s place is in the home (she is carrying a set of law books on her way from university). Of course both parents could be lovely people and will love the fact that their children have found someone to love and cherish forever. It�s more fun to think of other things good or bad.

If you ever want to escape reality for a while, sit back and watch the world go by for there are many stories out there just waiting for you to think up. These are just a few stories in the hundreds you could think about in a day. Everyone does this, even if you don�t realise you are doing it. Think about it the next time you see someone wearing something they really shouldn�t, or the next time you eavesdrop on a conversation and wonder what they are talking about, or when you criticise a total stranger in your head for their actions. No one is innocent when it comes to imagination. It doesn�t hurt anyone if it is only in your thoughts. Imagination is a terrible thing to waste.