A Unique Observation

I took the opportunity to face the challenge of paying attention to what I see and observing people around me communicating. I went to a store to make a few observations, looking at people communicating. The first set of people was a family at a variety store. Although I observed quite a few people communicating, I will recount this one. There was a couple around forty years old and a little girl around ten years old. At first, I couldn't help but listen as they talked and looked at the products in the haberdashery aisle. I covered my ears and blocked out the sounds so that I couldn't hear what they were saying. I positioned myself so that I could see their faces, and I looked at them to observe their movements as they talked. The man picked up a pair of shorts and smiled; the little girl laughed, and I noticed a broad smile. To my surprise, the lady turned sideways with an unresponsive facial expression, appearing somewhat apathetic. Then the man handed the pair of shorts to the lady who reluctantly took it and sneered. She then handed the pair of shorts to the man, who shook his head. The man returned the shorts to the shelf and picked up an oversized pair of pants. He looked at the lady, and she smiled. He handed the pants to the little girl, who stamped her feet rudely, shrugged her shoulders, and threw the folded pants into a trolley.

Their facial expressions, gestures, and general body language communicated much without hearing any of their spoken words. I understood well as I 'watched to listen.'