Bubble Burst
Surrounded by Strangers | People Watching vs. People Immersion
The clock strikes 7 AM sharp as the less-than subtle Apple alarm blares in my dinky East Village apartment. Light seeps through the cracks of my poorly installed Amazon blackout curtains, and with this rise to consciousness, the day has begun. After a long and meticulous morning routine, I leave the crib and hit the street. It’s still early morning, yet there are hordes of people beginning their day. This is the morning rush as we used to know it. The electricity of a city that never unplugs and the uncertainty of a morning commute amongst a sea of strangers all looking to accomplish one common goal: get to work. Maybe I’m wedged between a smelly homeless man speaking out loud to God or a family taking their kids to school. Once upon a time, we crammed ourselves into a rocketing metal tube moving swiftly through the annals of Manhattan. Now, my morning routine is rather different, and I know I’m not alone.
I’ve been in many different environments and living situations over the last year, but if there’s one commonality between all of them, it’s that I rarely interact with strangers anymore. Far fewer trips to the subway, less crowded streets, zero office interaction… Things are different, and when I look to vibe with people on my nights or weekends, it’s through my own personal network – because where else would I go?
You don’t realize how good something is until you don’t have it, and as it turns out, surrounding yourself with people you don’t know is incredibly meditative and borderline crucial. I came to this realization when I was back home at my parent’s place for a temporary stay. One month went by before I noticed I had not been around different characters, and that to me – for lack of better words – was totally and utterly fucked.
When something is wack, you gotta be intentional about changing it. Sick and tired of seeing the same people day after day, I packed my journal and headphones and made way to a highly populated area in Tampa, FL. That would be Hyde Park: home to big retail, highly rated restaurants, and exquisite vibes. I grabbed a coffee, sat on the corner facing the square, and just watched.
There must have been hundreds of people there, living their lives and experiencing storylines I can only speculate on as they pass by. Immediately inspired, I write my observations down without realizing what has just occurred – the creative block and odd feeling I had been plagued with had vanished, solely because I was in an unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar people (I sat at a distance to avoid the COVID cooties, of course).
People watching is a popular pastime, but have you tried people immersion? It’s quite similar, except you have to be more intentional about strictly existing in a crowd of weirdos and normies. You look on a 360° axis and see nothing but unacquainted individuals. That’s the beauty of the exercise and the unfortunate reality of our world’s current situation. We’ve all been cast aside, stowed away in our homes without the ability to get out there and immerse ourselves.
I don’t have the timeline for our full return at my fingertips, but with the sun emerging in colder cities and a vaccine circulating the globe; there is hope. You might have strengthened some bonds with people you know during this time, but my biggest encouragement to everyone out there is to go sit in a park, or at a coffee shop, or at your local fuckin’ grocery store and just ponder life. Immerse yourself in a place filled with diverse cultures and personalities.
We’re meant to be uncomfortable, so burst that bubble and go live.
About The Series
Sometimes you gotta set your own deadlines to get where you wanna go. 15 articles for 15 weeks, all randomly selected until we reach the last. Maybe then I’ll form the habit? Each week selected and announced through TikTok if anyone cares.
Graham Olney
Graham is the host of Tough To Say (sorry, Barry). In hopes of forming better writing habits, he’s committing to a 15 week self-imposed program to sharpen the skills.